FNB consultant accused of stealing R37m from deceased's account bought fancy cars and gave money to church

An FNB consultant who allegedly siphoned R36.9m from the account of his dead client into his own has been arrested by the Hawks in Limpopo.

Hawks spokesperson Capt Matimba Maluleke said: “It is alleged that on April 25, the suspect who was an FNB consultant at Makhado branch opened the profile of the client who had just died in a vehicle accident a day before without any authorisation.

“It is further alleged that the suspect connived with his accomplice to open a new bank account and linked it to the deceased's account and started spending all the money from the deceased' account.”

Maluleke said the bank picked up on the fraudulent activity, opened a case of theft and closed the account.

“When the suspect was approached by the bank managers about the matter, he reportedly tendered his resignation letter with immediate effect. During the investigation, it was discovered that some of the stolen money was used to buy expensive cars and donate to a certain church,” said Maluleke.

The suspect is to appear in the Makhado magistrate's court on Monday.

The Hawks have not ruled out the possibility of more arrests. 

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