Police Captain Sentenced to 10 Years for Stealing From the SAPS

• Captain Sylvia Carstens a South African Police Service Officer faces a 10-year sentence given by Bellville Commercial Crimes Court in Cape Town on accounts of fraud and money laundering.
• Carstens allegedly orchestrated the plot personally to steal from the South African Police Service claiming false travel expenses and licence renewals.
• Carstens confesses that the plot was an attempt to aid her gambling addiction, although she has fully reimbursed the SAPS

DURBAN - A South African Police Service Officer has been given a 10-year sentence for stealing from the police. Captain Sylvia Carstens was found guilty of more than 50 counts of fraud and one count of money laundering.

On Friday she received her sentence in Cape Town's Bellville Commercial Crimes Court.

Carstens reportedly came up with a scheme to steal money from the SAPS. The scheme involved moving money directly to her bank account and to the account of her co-accused. Fictitious travel expenses and vehicle licence renewals are just some of the advances she claimed.

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Carstens confessed, in a plea and sentencing agreement, that the money was used for her gambling addiction and was transferred between April and December 2018. She used details from her colleagues without them knowing and over R166 000 was misused.

Eric Ntabazalila spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority confirmed that Carstens had been employed at the Worcester Police Station as a finance clerk before being promoted to Captain.

He stated that she was given a unique and confidential number linked to her password in order to access the system, abusing this number to transfer money into her own account while personally approving the transactions according to IOL.

Following reports by EWN Carstens resigned following her discovery and has successfully reimbursed the SAPS.

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Previously, Briefly News reported that Frederick George de Bruin appeared before the Odendaalrus Regional Court and was found guilty of theft, defeating the ends of justice and corruption. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for each of the crimes.

De Bruin is accused of stealing a police docket and a state laptop, according to TimesLIVE. Brigadier Motantsi Makhele, the police spokesperson, stated the suspect approached the police department on 20 January and informed the department of De Bruin's offer.

"The whistleblower reported the incident to the authority and the incident was reported to the provincial anti-corruption unit," said Makhele.

Source: Briefly News