Olivia Adonis sentenced to 8 years imprisonment for embezzling funds from Atlantis Magistrate’s Court
Olivia Adonis, a former court clerk at the Atlantis Magistrate’s Court, has been sentenced to eight years in prison after being found guilty on eight counts of fraud. The sentencing took place at the Atlantis Regional Court. Adonis, who worked as the main cashier between May 6, 2009, and April 15, 2019, was responsible for handling court finances, including depositing and withdrawing cash, preparing monthly bank reconciliation statements using the JDAS System, and accounting for money received by the State and other institutions.
Adonis also managed third-party funds, oversaw safekeeping of deposit slips, and was responsible for issuing floats to office cashiers. The JDAS system, used by the court, helps administer money in trust for bail, fines, maintenance, and other court-related payments.
Between April 2018 and April 2019, Adonis misappropriated funds by falsifying bank deposit slips without actually making the corresponding deposits into the court’s account. She manipulated monthly reconciliation statements to conceal her actions by inflating bank balances and adjusting cash-book entries to match the erroneous figures. Adonis also issued cheques to creditors but did not forward or destroyed them, knowing there were insufficient funds in the court’s account. Her actions led to over R648,000 not being deposited into the court’s account.
The fraud was uncovered when the Department of Justice’s regional office discovered discrepancies between the bank statements and the actual balance in the court’s account. Adonis then took sick leave and resigned. The court convicted her and imposed an eight-year prison sentence, which is suspended for five years, contingent on her not committing further fraud or theft during that time. She was also placed under house arrest for 36 months as part of her correctional supervision.
Additionally, the court ordered that R174,000 from Adonis’s pension with the Government Employment Pension Fund (GEPF) be transferred to her employer’s account. She must also pay R473,410 in restitution at a rate of R10,000 per month, beginning August 2024.
Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Nicolette Bell, commended the sentence, reinforcing that corrupt officials will no longer be afforded impunity, and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is steadfast in its pursuit of justice.