Ex-court sheriff sentenced to 38 years in jail for fraud

The Oudtshoorn regional court has sentenced former sheriff of the court Abraine Coericius to 38 years’ imprisonment for fraud and money laundering.

In 2016, Coericius, 42, identified three vacant plots for the complainants to buy while he was a sheriff of the court.

Coericius supplied the contracts and received deposits and purchase prices for plots that were never registered in the names of the complainants at the Deeds Office.

According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Coericius defrauded the three families of more than R470,000.

Coericius was handed two years on count one for pretending to be an attorney, 10 years each for counts two through six for fraud, six years for money laundering (count 7), and a further 10 years for fraud (count 8).

The sentences will run concurrently for an effective 38 years’ imprisonment for Coericius.

Brigadier Mushavhaduvha Ramovha, acting provincial head of the Hawks, Western Cape, welcomed the sentence and thanked the team for their excellent work.

Earlier this month, the Hawks arrested 11 people as part of ongoing investigations into the abuse of the Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) benefit granted by the Unemployment Insurance Fund.

The Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) Kaizer Kganyago said the 11 suspects were arrested in relation to individual cases of defrauding the system, according to EWN.

This forms part of wider investigations in which government employees allegedly fraudulently applied for TERS benefits valued at more than R41 million.

“The Hawks will ensure that the Asset Forfeiture Unit is brought on board to assist in recoveries of ill-gotten gains,” SABC News quoted SIU chief investigator Johnny le Roux as saying.

-African News Agency (ANA)

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