The Bloemfontein Regional Court has handed down sentences to two men involved in a multi-million rand fraud scheme targeting Standard Bank and Wesbank. The case, which has seen several arrests by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks), involves fraudulent bank loans, overdrafts, and vehicle financing amounting to R7 million.
Glen Crouch (37) was found guilty on 19 counts of fraud and sentenced to 10 years’ direct imprisonment. The court suspended four years of his sentence for a period of five years, meaning he will serve an effective six years in prison.
His co-accused, Simon Cornelius Botha (52), was convicted on two counts of money laundering. He received a two-year prison sentence, which was wholly suspended for five years. In addition, Botha was sentenced to 36 months of correctional supervision.
The convicted men are part of a larger group of suspects arrested by the Hawks in February 2020. According to evidence presented in court, the fraudulent activities were facilitated by an insider, Mosa Tseleli (42), who was an employee of Standard Bank at the time.
The case against several other co-accused is still ongoing. Tseleli, along with Christal Arendse (41), Eagen Moses (39), and Gilbert Rousseau (46), are scheduled to reappear in court on 8 December 2025.
In a related conviction, another member of the group, Chelleroy Floyd Buys (43), was sentenced in September 2022. Buys received a 12-year prison term, suspended for five years, and 12 months of correctional supervision. He was also ordered by the court to pay back R300,000.