After arresting her in 2017 and sentencing her to prison in 2023, the State will auction off assets previously owned by Hildegard Steenkamp, who was convicted for defrauding her former employer for over R500 million.
Luxury homes, designer brands and over a hundred bottles of Johnny Walker Blue Label Whiskey will be auctioned off to recuperate funds, the National Prosecuting Authority in Gauteng confirmed.
NPA Gauteng spokesperson Phindi Louw confirmed that the Asset Forfeiture Unit was granted permission to auction off the estate on January 30.
The Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigations (known as the Hawks), indicated that Steenkamp was convicted on 336 charges of fraud by the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Gauteng.
The 50-year-old worked as an accountant at a multinational medical equipment supplier called Medtronic, based in Midrand, Gauteng.
During their investigation, the Hawks found that Steenkamp syphoned over R500 million since 2017.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said she did so by duplicating payments and transferring the money directly into her late husband’s bank account.
IOL previously reported on Steenkamp’s opulent lifestyle, which the court heard during the course of her trial.
Steenkamp spent R65 million over a five-year period at a casino and went on international holidays worth R30 million, including regular trips to Dubai.
She was arrested by the Hawks in December 2017 after a three-month investigation.
She pleaded guilty to all 336 charges.
“The Hawks descended on Steenkamp’s house with search-and-seizure warrants and attached the woman’s 11 luxury vehicles, motorcycles and seven immovable properties, as well as furniture, appliances and jewellery worth millions of rands,” Mogale said.
She was released on a bail of R250,000 after her arrest in 2017.
On December 8, 2023, the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sentenced Steenkamp to an effective 50 years behind bars.
IOL