MPUMALANGA – Former Magistrate, Magrieta Stoffelina Maria Botha ( 55) appeared briefly at the Nelspruit Magistrate Court on Wednesday facing alleged fraud charges amounting to approximately R5-million.
Botha was arrested by members of the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation on 25 May 2017 following a probe which uncovered factitious garnishing orders which she allegedly authorised from various Magistrate’s offices which amongst others include Nelspruit, Barberton, Malelane, Kabokweni and Tonga.
The accused allegedly ran her own attorney firm after resigning as a Magistrate and collected debts on behalf of a micro-loan business, she reportedly prepared the administration papers and various court orders furthermore she apparently forged signatures of clients of the said cash-loan company resulting in the payments unduly accumulating in her account.
Botha has been released on a waning with strict conditions on charges of fraud, corruption, forgery and uttering and she is expected back in court on 02 July 2018.
