WC court clerk ordered to forfeit pension after being found guilty on 8 fraud counts
The State has proven that between April 2018 to April 2019, Olivia Adonis misappropriated money under her control by completing bank deposit slips but not making cash deposits into the court’s account.
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CAPE TOWN - The clerk of the Atlantis Magistrates Court, in Western Cape, has been ordered to forfeit her pension after being found guilty on eight counts of fraud.
Olivia Adonis was employed as the main cashier between May 2009 and April 2019 when she suddenly booked off sick and subsequently resigned.
Her responsibilities included depositing and withdrawing cash and managing third-party funds.
Adonis also had the authority to access the department’s online platform, the JDAS system, which is a financial and case management system that administers all money in trust within the magistrate's courts.
The State has proven that between April 2018 to April 2019, Adonis misappropriated money under her control by completing bank deposit slips but not making cash deposits into the court’s account.
She manipulated or forged monthly bank reconciliation statements, manipulated or forged cashbook entries, and manipulated her office's financial accounting system.
These activities led to her not banking over R648,000 in the court’s account.
The court has further ordered that R174,000 held with the Government Employment Pension Fund (GEPF) be transferred to her employer’s account.
Adonis must now repay the remaining amount of over R473,000 at a rate of R10,000 per month, with the first payment due by 15 August.
She has been convicted on eight counts of fraud and sentenced to eight years imprisonment, suspended for five years.
Adonis will serve her sentence under house arrest.