A Ugandan national was sentenced to 18 years in prison for orchestrating a fraudulent tender scam that defrauded South African businesspeople of over R429,000.
The Polokwane Specialised Commercial Crimes Court has sentenced Ugandan national Richard Juuko, 53, to an effective 18 years’ direct imprisonment after he was convicted on multiple counts of fraud and money laundering linked to a sophisticated tender scam that defrauded businesspeople of more than R429,000.
Juuko was found guilty on five counts of fraud and five counts of money laundering under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act 121 of 1998.
The court heard that during 2020, he operated within Limpopo, targeting businesspersons through a coordinated email scam in which he impersonated government departments.
He reportedly sent fraudulent emails using official-looking letterheads and logos of departments including Water and Sanitation, Mineral Resources, and Energy in Mpumalanga.
