Ex-Son journo guilty of fraud
|Published
CONVICTED: Janice Ohlson was sentenced in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court CONVICTED: Janice Ohlson was sentenced in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court
A former Son newspaper journalist, who faced 140 counts of fraud, was found guilty in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
She and a co-accused entered into a plea and sentencing agreement, which was handed down immediately, but will not serve time in the mang.
Former sub-editor Janice Ohlson from Parow was sentenced to five years imprisonment, with three years suspended, and will be under correctional supervision for 36 months.
CONVICTED: Janice Ohlson was sentenced in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court
Her co-accused Munier Abrahams, a car company employee from Mitchells Plain, was sentenced to three years imprisonment with 18 months correctional supervision.
Correctional supervision means they will be under 24-hour house arrest and will need to report to their correctional officer and require special permission to go anywhere.
The two were nabbed in January 2018 after fraudulently issuing work schedules for drag queen and whistle-blower, Queeny Madikizela-Malema, who was employed as a ghost writer.
Queeny, real name Sylvano Hendricks, was previously convicted of fraud for running a pyramid scheme and after being released on parole in 2012, was given “free access (by Son) to commit crimes”.
After contravening her parole conditions, Queeny was rearrested in December 2016 and served her remaining sentence before being released the following year.
Queeny, who piemped the Son staff, says she was happy with the outcome of the case.
“I decided there’s nothing I could do about the past. I did my time, but there was something I could do about the future and I exposed Ohlson and Abrahams,” she said.
“To me this is not about their sentencing, but my credibility that has been restored.
“The investigation team was dedicated to bringing the perpetrators to book with evidence I gave.
“I am happy the way the court and Department of Justice handled this. They took my evidence, went through everything thoroughly,” she says.
WARNING: Queeny Madikizela-Malema
However, Queeny says she is not done exposing corruption.
“In my statement there are four other journalists and two-high ranking officials named. They need to know, as a stern warning, ‘ ek kom vir hulle’.
“People also need to know why (former) Son editor (Andrew Koopman) resigned (during the scandal in 2018).
“I wish Janice well, there are no hard feelings, but corruption I will not tolerate. I’m just glad justice prevailed.”