Joseph Christopher Marneweck (46) made a brief court appearance before the Kimberley Specialised Commercial Crimes Court Today, 14 August 2024, on charges of fraud/theft and money laundering.

The accused was arrested on Tuesday, 13 August 2024 by the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team after allegations of theft of more than R1.9 million were levelled against him.

It is alleged that during May 2013, the accused committed theft/fraud when he made an online investment application through one of the known investment companies, Joseph Marneweck submitted all the necessary documents including his bank details, his modus operandi was to give the investment company the banking details of other government entities for deduction purposes.

He would then issue an instruction for a huge once off deduction to be effected on the institution’s bank account, followed by a monthly deduction of small amounts to be deducted from his own account monthly. A short while after investment, the accused will then make an online request for the withdrawal of his investment funds to be deposited to his personal account. He ran an elaborate scheme of siphoning money from various government entities and other reputable private companies with a belief that fraud will only be picked up at a later stage during auditing stage.

The matter was remanded to 19 August 2024, to enable to accused to secure legal representation. The accused remains in custody.

Source : South African Police Service