By OBAKENG MAJE

A 40-YEAR-OLD man was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for fraud and money laundering by the Kimberley Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday. The Hawks spokesperson in Northern Cape, Lieutenant Col Tebogo Thebe said the Director of Media Engineering and Office Solution, Lerata Raphael Mokoteli pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

Thebe said, between March and June 2016, Mokoteli submitted a fraudulent funding proposal to AgriSETA for funding the gardening project, giving a misrepresentation that he had partnered with Dipalemo Company which is accredited by AgriSETA for the purpose of funding.

“Mokoteli acted as if he had the mandate from Dipalemo Company to enter into a partnership with Business against Crime company for the use of its accreditation certificate with AgriSETA, whereas he was not a member of Dipalemo. AgriSETA granted funding of approximately R1.9 million to the Business Against Crime company as a consequence of misrepresentation.

“The Kimberley-based Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team successfully investigated the matter resulting in a conviction and sentencing of the accused. Mokoteli was found guilty on 50 counts of fraud and two counts of money laundering,” he said.

Thebe further said Mokoteli was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, which is wholly suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of money laundering during the period of suspension. He added that, Mokoteli was further instructed to repay R1.9 million to the benefit of the Agriculture Sector Education and Training Authority.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Major General Steve Mabuela expressed his satisfaction with the conviction of Mokoteli.

“Mokoteli’s guilty plea was influenced by overwhelming evidence placed before the court, as a result of a meticulous investigation by our investigating team,” he said.

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