The Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court has cracked the whip on fraudster Johandré Visagie (26), sentencing him to ten years’ direct imprisonment, plus an additional six months. Sentences will run concurrently.
Visagie’s sentencing on 28 July is the culmination of investigations by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime unit in Bloemfontein. He was convicted for fraud, money laundering and contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
Investigations revealed Visagie defrauded a victim of R166 000 and R1 million in 2018.
Capt. Christopher Singo, provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, said the agreement between the victim and Visagie was that the money invested would be traded in foreign currency and would be sold again, depending on the fluctuation of the rand value.
He said Visagie had presented the investment scheme to the victim.
“High interest rates were promised to the victim for the money invested,” said Singo.
He said the victim transferred R166 000 and R1 million on 23 and 29 May in 2018 into Visagie’s personal account to be invested in the scheme.
“The victim did not receive the promised interest, nor the money he had deposited, as agreed upon,” said Singo.
Visagie had been appearing in court on several occasions since July 2019 after he was served with summons.
The court also decided to throw the book at Cameroonian-born fraudster Akak Leandre Ekoto (49), sentencing him to an effective 25 years’ imprisonment.
The hefty sentencing follows conviction for defrauding a Bloemfontein-based victim of R530 000 in total during 2019 through a chemicals distribution deal.
His conviction is the culmination of investigations by the Hawks.
Singo said Ekoto was arrested after the victim had opened a case on Ekoto attempting, in that December, to swindle the same victim out of R45 000, which was the third attempt for the year.
“Ekoto contacted the victim, requesting a further amount of R45 000 for the same deal,” said Singo.
The fraudster had already swindled the victim out of R432 000 in September and an additional R98 000 in October of the same year.
Singo said the victim had invested in the “chemical distribution deal” with the intention to become a distributor in the Bloemfontein area.
“After the victim deposited the two amounts of money into different accounts, Ekoto failed to deliver chemicals as agreed upon.”
Singo said the money the victims had lost to fraudsters Ekoto and Visagie could not be recovered.
