Businesswoman who defrauded Sassa ordered to pay back the money

The Pretoria north regional court has granted the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) a confiscation order against Sarathamoney Devi Sigamoney after she was convicted of perjury, fraud and theft two weeks ago.

Sigamoney, 67, defrauded the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) pension payouts while being the sole director of a company that was awarded tenders worth about R88m from the SA Police Service to supply office furniture between 2017 and 2022. 

In 2017, Sigamoney applied for an old age grant with Sassa, attaching a supporting affidavit that stated she had not worked for 20 years. Sigamoney received grant money amounting to about R123,000 from July 2017 to July 2022.

“The order stipulates that an amount of R138,593, together with interest at a prescribed rate of 11.25% per annum, calculated from the date of this order to the date of payment, be paid back to Sassa,” Investigating Directorate spokesperson Henry Mamothame said. 

He said Sigamoney was also ordered to provide proof of payment to the state.

“This is the NPA’s strategy to use the forfeiture powers of the AFU to take away the proceeds of crime back to the state, to ensure that crime does not pay.”   

After her conviction on the case, sentencing was set for January 14 next year. 

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