A former Flantrade Fishing manager appeared in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Cape Town on Monday on hundreds of fraud charges.

Dalton Glenville Randall was not asked to plead on 486 counts of fraud, and a charge framed in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.

He allegedly created “ghost crew members” and channelled their wages and commissions into his private bank accounts.

The matter was postponed to 18 July for further investigation.

According to the charge sheet, Randall was the manager at Flantrade Fishing, a company that provides management and operational services to fishing vessels.

His duties included the authorisation and payment of expenses and supplies, the purchase of bait and the payment of salaries and commissions to crew members.

Randall had to prepare written schedules reflecting the names of crew members and the amounts to be paid to them.

Prosecutor Derek Vogel alleges the schedules Randall submitted to financial manager Craig Myburgh, for the payment of crew salaries and commissions, contained fictitious names.

Randall then allegedly channelled salaries and commissions totalling R2.5m for “ghost crew members” into two private bank accounts, for his personal use.

He allegedly also submitted fake invoices totalling R1.2m for bait purchased.

– SAPA