Carol Ann Avent faces charges related to a R11.5 million money laundering scheme involving family members and Transco CC.
Carol Ann Avent in court for R11.5 million money laundering scheme
The group appeared before the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court, where their case was reactivated by the Nelspruit Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks).
Avent’s role as the financial manager at Transco CC placed her in a pivotal position to execute the fraudulent activities. Starting in 2009, she diverted company funds into personal bank accounts belonging to herself and her relatives.
This was facilitated by her access to a unique password for processing company payments, which she exploited to reroute funds from the company’s Nedbank business account to private accounts.
RelatedPosts
The Hawks’ investigation into these activities led to her arrest in 2016, revealing the extent of the financial damages inflicted upon Transco CC.
Her former lover, Warren Smith, was taken into custody in 2021, for accepting a fraudulent transfer of more than R644 811 from the business account into his personal bank account.
Financial records show he used the funds to purchase a property in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
Avent, the primary suspect in the investigation, is currently out on R5 000 bail.
When is her next court appearance?
The case has been postponed to 19 April 2024, for further investigations and to trace any additional suspects.
This adjournment also allows for the transfer of the case to the Specialised Commercial Crime Court, where Avent and her co-accused will face the legal consequences of their actions.
The rest of the suspects are:
- Ian John Avent, 57;
- Lucy Andrea du Preez 54;
- Maria Antoinette Le Roux, 53;
- Kerry Ann Avent, 36;
- Jaco Meinties, 48;
- Pieter Albertus Meintjies, 40;
- Annechelay Charlene Meintjies, 28;
- Dina Petro du Preez, 33, and;
- Maritz Vernon du Preez, 27.
