Court sentences ex-FNB employee to six years for theft from elderly farmer

The Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court has sentenced a former bank employee to an effective six years’ imprisonment for two counts of theft.

The court's decision comes after 54-year-old Leonie Stella Stiemie, a former branch administrator at FNB Kirkwood, was found guilty of stealing over R800 000 from an elderly client including R400 000 in cash and R420 000 from the client’s bank account.

Stiemie was sentenced to six years for each count, with the sentences ordered to run concurrently.

Additionally, the court has mandated that she repay First Rand Limited R270 000, she was declared her unfit to possess a firearm, and the court authorised the search and seizure of any firearms, ammunition, and relevant permits currently in her possession.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Luxolo Tyali, said the case centres on 87-year-old Andries David Renken, a lifelong farmer from Kirkwood, who died during the protracted legal proceedings.

Renken had entrusted Stiemie with R400 000 in cash to be securely stored in a bank-managed Deeds Box between 2011 and February 2015.

In an appalling breach of trust, Stiemie not only failed to provide Renken with the required keys and custody agreements but also exploited his trust in ways that left him vulnerable.

In August 2014, upon Renken’s enquiry about his funds, Stiemie deceitfully claimed she had invested half of the money on his behalf. By early 2015, she had left FNB, which Renken only discovered when he visited the bank.

Stiemie then visited Renken, first fabricating a tale about the funds being stolen in a bank robbery - a claim that was later disproven.

Ultimately, Stiemie confessed to taking the money but offered to repay the debt in small monthly instalments of R666, which Renken refused, deeming the amount emblematic of the “devil’s number.”

Stiemie only managed to refund R21 000. A deposit slip related to the theft had been forged, with a handwriting analyst for the state confirming that the signature was Stiemie’s, not Renken’s.

Throughout the trial, Stiemie denied having arranged a repayment plan, claiming that she had been on strong medication at the time of her visit to Renken.

The court found Renken’s testimony credible, emphasising that it represented the only plausible version of events amid the complexity of the case. Further complicating the trial were various delays, including the unfortunate passing of a vital handwriting expert and the trial’s original prosecutor in 2021.

In response to the court's decision, Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo, said: “This outcome demonstrates that justice will be served, even in cases delayed over many years. We commend Advocate Leigh-Anne Pillay-Selahle of the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit for her perseverance and dedication.”

Cape Times