SHOCKING: Electricity scam. Picture: File
AFTER pleading guilty to 435 charges of fraud, Pieter Jacobus Adams, 57, was sentenced to 10 years, of which six years were suspended for five years.
Former senior Berg River municipality was convicted and sentenced in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Cape Town on Tuesday for fraud amounting to over R1.3 million.
Adams defrauded the municipality to the total amount of R1 310 507.40
Adams had marked himself as indigent and his prepaid meter was changed to the indigent tariff.
In so doing, Adams could get free electricity tokens from the municipality, and then he sold the tokens to various customers.
Adams worked for the municipality as a chief clerk: credit control from July 1, 2002, until his resignation on November 25, 2019.
Hawks spokesperson Siyabulela Vukubi said in addition to the prison sentence, Adams’ municipal workers retirement fund was confiscated.
Vukubi adds: “Furthermore, confiscation order in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), Act 121 of 1998, full pension fund benefit amount of R510 106, 31 held in the Municipal Workers Retirement Fund will be deposited to Berg Rivier Municipality.
“It was reported that Adams was employed by the Bergrivier Municipality in Piketberg as a chief Clerk, credit control, from 01 July 2002 until his resignation on 25 November 2019.
“During the period between March 2016 and September 2019, Adams allegedly issued 700 918.3 units of free electricity tokens for pre-paid meters for customers to the value of R1 310 507.40.
“The accused would receive cash from the customers, enriching himself. He would fraudulently load free electricity tokens on the system for the customers. Municipality ended up running at a loss to the total amount of R1 310 507, 40.
“The matter was reported to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation for probing, and on 7 March 2023, a warrant of arrest was executed, which led to his arrest, after which he was granted bail.”