The Hawks in the Northern Cape secured a six-year sentence against the former chief financial clerk. He allegedly stole R2,4 million in transferred money from the Umsobomvu Local Municipality account to his personal and wife's bank accounts.
The Colesberg Regional Court sentenced Sivuyile Stali, 40, and his wife, Vivian Stali, 31, after finding them guilty of fraud, theft, and money laundering.
The husband, Sivuyile, was sentenced to six years of direct imprisonment after being charged with 262 counts of fraud, theft, and money laundering.
The wife, Vivian, was sentenced to three years of correctional supervision, which entails house arrest and 16 hours of community service per month.
“The couple were accused of defrauding Colesberg based Umsobomvu Local Municipality of an amount of R2,4 million,” police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Tebogo Thebe said.
“The husband, Stali, who was employed by the municipality as a chief clerk responsible for salaries, used his position to defraud the municipality by transferring the municipal funds into his personal account and that of his wife,” Thebe said.
Thebe said further added that the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team, working together with the National Director of Public Prosecutions Asset Forfeiture Unit, had earlier secured a recovery order amounting to R364,753.
“The same court ordered the South African Local Authority Fund to pay the order amount (R364,753) from Stali’s pension savings. The confiscation order is in line with Section 18(1) of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA).
“Sivuyile Stali was further declared unfit to possess a firearm in line with Section 103 of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000,” Thebe added.
The Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Major General Stephen Mabuela, appreciated the investigation team for working together, resulting in the recovery.
IOL