Former law firm employee jailed for seven years over R13m fraud

A 53-year-old account secretary’s days of stealing money from her employer have landed her behind bars. Alwena Smith, a former Stellenbosch law firm employee, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for defrauding the company of more than R13 million. Smith entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the state on 171 counts of fraud, 171 counts of interference with data and four counts of money laundering.

The Belville Commercial Crimes Court sentenced her to 12 years direct imprisonment for the fraud charges, with five years suspended on condition that she is not convicted of fraud, theft or corruption in that time. This means she will only serve seven years in prison. The court also sentenced her to 12 months direct imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years, provided that she is not found guilty of interference with data during that period.

Smith was further sentenced to 12 years direct imprisonment for four counts of money laundering, which were wholly suspended for five years on condition that she is not convicted of a similar crime. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently and declared her unfit to possess a firearm. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the senior accounts secretary noted in her plea and sentencing agreement that she worked for a law firm that specialised in notarising, conveyancing, estate law and third-party claims.

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“She was employed from March 2006 until she was fired in May 2018 managing day-to-day income and expenditure of receipting monies as well as regular banking duties,” Ntabazalila said on Friday. Smith had access to electronic computer systems and files.

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