Cape Town - A 56-year-old George woman will spend eight years in prison for defrauding her employer of over R7.6 million.
Gillian Mary Wileman, a bookkeeper, was found guilty by the George Regional court of 233 counts of fraud and alternatively theft.
Evidence submitted in court showed Wileman stole the money over a period of six years between 2016 and 2022 while she was employed at Ideal Lighting.
Wileman's duties included capturing bank statement transactionsm and making payments to creditors and suppliers of ideal Lighting.
Evidence showed that between 2016 and 2020 Wileman diverted payments meant for creditors into her personal account, and concealed the movement of the funds.
After investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit, Wileman appeared in the George Regional Court court on November 25 2022.
Wileman was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment, of which six years was suspended for five years.
Her former employer welcomed the sentence.
Suzanne van Zyl, the wife of the owner, Herman, said: “She got what she deserves.
“We cannot recover a cent of what she stole.”
Van Zyl, also a bookkeeper, detected the fraud when she helped the company out during COVID-19.
“I could only detect the R7.6 million that she stole during the period I reviewed,” she added.
“It could be more.”
The Provincial Head of the Hawks, Major General Mathipa Makgato was also pleased with the sentence.
He also commended the team for their investigative skills which led to the arrest and conviction of Wileman.