Former finance manager sentenced to 10 years for R3.5 million fraud

In a significant ruling, the Pretoria Specialized Commercial Crimes Court has sentenced 37-year-old Prishne Khan to 10 years of direct imprisonment after she was found guilty of 63 counts of fraud, leading to losses exceeding R3 million. Khan also received a 4-year sentence for theft amounting to R350,000. However, the court ordered that the sentences run concurrently, resulting in an effective prison term of 10 years.

Khan’s fraudulent activities date back to her time as a bookkeeper at the Northern Cricket Union, where she worked from June 2015 to 18 January 2017. During her tenure, she was responsible for processing payments for various service providers. Instead of performing her duties with integrity, Khan altered banking details on multiple invoices, redirecting payments to accounts controlled by her husband and cousin. Over a period of six weeks, from May to June 2016, she misappropriated R350,000. When her actions were questioned, Khan resigned from her position.

Shortly after, Khan secured employment as the finance manager at Customer Loyalty Consultant (PTY) Ltd, where she worked from 9 March 2017 to 30 September 2017. Her new role granted her access to the company’s bank accounts and banking systems. During her employment, she again manipulated customer banking details to siphon funds into accounts under the control of her husband and cousin. Although she had the ability to process payments, a token required to finalize transactions was held by another employee. After leaving the company in September 2017, Khan obtained the token and released payments totaling more than R3 million to herself from September 2017 until March 2018.

The fraudulent activities came to light when the bank alerted the company to suspicious transactions. A subsequent investigation by the police led to Khan’s first court appearance on 31 May 2018. In court, Khan pleaded guilty, attributing her criminal conduct to financial difficulties, claiming the funds were needed for essentials, including a motor vehicle for her husband. However, the pre-sentence report revealed that she had used the stolen funds for gambling.

During the sentencing proceedings, Khan requested leniency, citing her responsibilities towards her three minor children, aged 6, 12, and 15, as well as her ill health. However, Prosecutor Advocate Pulane Segalo argued that Khan had committed serious offences and betrayed the trust of her employers for personal gain. She urged the court to impose a sentence of direct imprisonment to reflect the severity of the crimes.

The matter was initially postponed to 3 March 2023 for the judgment on the sentence. However, Khan absconded, leading to a warrant for her arrest. Over a year later, on 30 August 2024, authorities located her hiding in a freezer at her new home in Nigel, leading to her arrest and court appearance.

When delivering the sentence, Magistrate Du Preez concurred with the state, stating that Khan’s actions were driven by greed rather than necessity. He noted that her guilty plea was not indicative of genuine remorse, but rather a recognition of the inevitable consequences of her actions. As a result, the court determined that imprisonment was the only appropriate sentence under these circumstances.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has welcomed the ruling, reaffirming its commitment to holding offenders accountable for commercial crimes. NPA Regional Spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana stated, “This case serves as a reminder that the NPA is dedicated to prosecuting fraud and maintaining integrity within financial dealings in South Africa.”