Standard Bank has confirmed that it is opposing a lawsuit by a 33-year-old Road Accident Fund beneficiary, who recently lost his R2 million payout after his money was allegedly paid into a decoy account.
This follows the airing of a news report on Road Accident Fund fraud by SABC News two weeks ago.
A Vanderbijlpark mans payout disappeared while being deposited into his nominated trust account.
The Road Accident Fund says its forensic investigations team is working closely with the Hawks and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to track and prosecute those involved.
Neo Moreki was left distraught after he was defrauded of his R2 million Road Accident Fund payout. A 2019 car accident in Klerksdorp left him unable to work.
He suffered a cracked skull and now has to frequent hospitals for treatment.
"Due to the accident, I have reoccurring headaches. In winter, my spine and right leg ache frequently. Im not able to grab or handle a lot of things with my hands and I'm often not able to do anything, especially in winter. And I have four children with two at school and two at creche. They need uniform and they need something to eat as they can't study on an empty stomach," says Moreki.
A 16-year-old suspect, in whose account the money was deposited, and her alleged recruiter have since been arrested for fraud.
Nobela Attorneys, who claim to have lost the money while transferring it into Morekis account, are now suing Standand Bank and its affiliates for the alleged negligent handling of the money.
"We have reason to believe that bank is in cahoots with the fraudsters as it would normally take a lengthy period for an amount of R2 million to be withdrawn from the bank account, but in this instance, it was easy for the fraudsters to withdraw the money undeterred," says Musa Nobela, Nobela attorneys.
According to the Banking Ombudsmans 2022 Annual Report, 47 819 banking fraud cases were reported. The Road Accident Fund says it is investigating and might reimburse the victim at the conclusion of the case.
"Indeed, there is a recourse. The case is obviously referred back to us and we work very well with the law enforcement including the hawks, the SIU and the NPA. Investigations are done but, in this case, we obviously have to go back to the drawing board with our forensic investigations department to investigate and what happens is that we end up having to pay the claimant, but it takes a long time," says Mcintosh Polela, RAF Spokesperson.
In a statement, Standard Bank says it has zero tolerance for any acts of criminality. The bank is complying with all lawful investigations and is opposing the lawsuit by Nobela Attorneys on behalf of Moreki based on the facts of the matter.
Nobela Attorneys has denied any culpability in the alleged fraud and says it is paying a monthly stipend to the victim.
