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A former employee of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development in the Free State, was sentenced to direct imprisonment for fraud. The sentencing of Gaobuse Desmond Mokhobo (35) followed his conviction during a trial early February in the Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Court.
The court handed down the sentence yesterday - Wednesday, 3 April. Mokhobo’s sentencing is a result of an investigation by the Bloemfontein’s Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team.
Capt. Christopher Singo, provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, said Mokhobo was found guilty of charges of theft, fraud, money laundering, and contravention of section 4 of Act 121 and section 4 (1) pertaining to the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act (Rica). He said the accused defrauded the department of third-party funds worth R300 000. The funds ranged from bail applications, fines, and child maintenance monies.
During 2019, Mokhobo was the acting court manager at the Zastron Magistrates’ Court, a town located 180 km outside Bloemfontein. This is when the Department of Justice became aware of the suspected fraud.
“The court sentenced Mokhobo to 13 years’ imprisonment for fraud, and six years suspended for five years on the condition he is not found guilty of fraud during the period of suspension. He was also sentenced to five years’ direct imprisonment for contravention of Section 4 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca) 121 of 1998 (money laundering) and five years’ direct imprisonment for contravention of Section 4(1) of Rica, Act 70 of 2000,” said Singo. He said all the sentences will run concurrently and that the court declared Mokhobo unfit to possess a firearm.
The sentencing was based on compelling evidence the Hawks’ investigation team gathered.
“During 2019, the Department of Justice became suspicious of fraud involving third party funds at the Zastron Magistrates’ Court. They then reported the matter to the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team in Bloemfontein for further investigation. It was discovered that the accused would make deposits into the bank account of his partner using the credentials of another court official,” said Singo. He confirmed that no money was recouped from the accused.
In a separate, but similar, fraud matter, the Bethlehem Magistrates’ Court ordered the fraud-accused Nthabiseng Adeline Motaung to repay the department R135 200 in monthly instalments of R4 000. This was part of an eight years’ imprisonment sentence, wholly suspended for five years on the condition that Motaung is not found guilty of a similar crime during the suspension of the sentence.
