A woman in Western Cape has been sentenced to serve eight years imprisonment for the embezzlement of company fund of up to R3.8 million.

With a designation of an accounts administrator by Italian businessman Andrea Assirelli, the woman Celeste Gayle Harker, 45, was charged with 404 counts of fraud, and one of money-laundering by the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court.

The embezzlement forced Assirelli to sell his luxury home and cars, and to close down one of his six business concerns.

Harker pleaded guilty to the charge and by law, a first time offender involved in a fraud of up to R500, 000 is to do 15 years of jail time but because Judge considering compelling circumstances pronounced a sentence less than prescribed by the law.

Assirelli owned five close corporations and one company which Harker manipulated an electronic system to create fictitious service-providers as her duty was to manage accounts for the six corporations.

She manipulated the payment of creditors for nearly three years, until being caught last February.

Bank staff had provided her with electronic passwords giving her access to the bank accounts of company creditors.

This enabled her to channel payments intended for creditors into her own account, and into the accounts of two friends.