Former Volkswagen Employee Arrested for Allegedly Defrauding VW SA of Over R12m Released on Warning

• A man who was arrested by the Hawks for stealing over R12 million from car manufacturer Volkswagen has been released on a warning
• Cristo de Jager allegedly submitted over 570 fraudulent invoices to VW over the course of eight years
• South Africans have slammed the court for releasing De Jager on a warning, claiming he has been let off easy

EASTERN CAPE - A former Volkswagen employee arrested by the Hawks for allegedly defrauding the company of over R12 million is back on the streets again.

Christo de Jager's first appearance in the Gqeberha New Law Court ended in the 59-year-old man being released on a warning.

De Jager and an accomplice stole R12 million from Volkswagen SA by submitting 572 fraudulent invoices

De Jager is accused of conspiring with an employee at an auto body repair workshop to invoice the car manufacturer for work that was never done, EWN reported.

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De Jager was a fleet manager at Volkswagen at the time and together with his partner in crime submitted 572 fraudulent involves between 2013 and 2021.

According to Hawks Eastern Cape Spokesperson Yolisa Mgolodela, the former VW fleet manager was allegedly paid every month for facilitating the payments on the invoices.

The case caught the court's attention when an unidentified individual blew the whistle on the scheme.

Mgoloela said that De Jager's fraud case would resume on 23 March for the accused to secure legal representation, IOL reported.

South Africans criticised that court for releasing the VW fraudster on a warning

South Africans complained that people who had stolen much less than De Jager were required to pay bail.

Below are some comments:

@alanpeter796 asked:

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"How come he is released on a warning? Some with R2 million corruption charges pay R50K bail or even more."

Skhumbuzo Ray G Nkabinde slammed:

"And after R12 million he was released on zero bail. This country is a joke. Corruption is the daily bread we prayed for every Sunday."

Avuyile Happy Mbodlela complained:

"Seems like everywhere in SA there's a fraud story."

Paulo Francisco questioned:

"So when are the Hawks going to be so diligent with our corrupt officials in government?"

Eskom: 48 People arrested at power utility for various crimes since SANDF deployment

In another story, Briefly News reported that a total of 48 people were arrested for various criminal activities at Eskom’s power stations.

The arrests come after members of the SANDF were deployed to deal with theft and sabotage at the state-owned entity.

The soldiers were allocated to the utility in December. According to EWN, Mpumalanga was identified as a hotspot for coal theft.

Source: Briefly News