Two women appeared before the Bethlehem specialised commercial crimes court in the Free State on Monday on separate charges of fraud and money laundering relating to Covid-19 temporary employer/employee relief scheme (Ters) claims.
It is alleged that between March and October 2020, Marx Maria Karien, 58, submitted claims of more than R1m to the department of employment & labour for Ters benefits.
“This was done through her company Pop Snax (Pty) Ltd. The funds were approved by the department and deposited into the company account. It was reported that only a portion of the money was used to pay employees and the rest was for personal use,” said Hawks spokesperson Capt Christopher Singo.
Karien was arrested in Bethlehem on Monday and made her first appearance on the same day.
“The case against Karien has been postponed to November 28 and she was granted R5,000 bail.”
Two women in Free State court for 'fraudulent' Covid-19 Ters claims
More than R1m was approved and allegedly deposited into a company account
Image: 123RF/Olivier Le Moal
Two women appeared before the Bethlehem specialised commercial crimes court in the Free State on Monday on separate charges of fraud and money laundering relating to Covid-19 temporary employer/employee relief scheme (Ters) claims.
It is alleged that between March and October 2020, Marx Maria Karien, 58, submitted claims of more than R1m to the department of employment & labour for Ters benefits.
“This was done through her company Pop Snax (Pty) Ltd. The funds were approved by the department and deposited into the company account. It was reported that only a portion of the money was used to pay employees and the rest was for personal use,” said Hawks spokesperson Capt Christopher Singo.
Karien was arrested in Bethlehem on Monday and made her first appearance on the same day.
“The case against Karien has been postponed to November 28 and she was granted R5,000 bail.”
Khahliso Isabel Motseremeli, 48, allegedly submitted claims to the department of education for Covid-19 Ters funds through her nonprofit organisation Paballong Day Care Centre between March 2020 and April 2020.
“It is further alleged that the accused applied for Covid-19 Ters funds for employees who did not qualify for benefits from the department of employment and labour. A total of R36,247 was paid to the accused for her personal benefit.”
After appearing in court on Monday, she was released on R1,000 bail and her case was postponed to January 18.
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