A 72-year-old woman, Rossyln Crossingham, has been charged in connection with a R1.3 million fraud case involving the sale of invalid mining rights in the Northern Cape.
Crossingham appeared briefly at the Douglas Magistrate’s Court after her arrest on July 9 by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team. She faces charges of fraud, with theft listed as an alternative.
According to Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Nomthandazo Mnisi, the case revolves around the fraudulent sale of a company and its mining rights dating back over a decade.
In 2012, Crossingham served as co-director of Rowen Tree 60 Pty Ltd along with two others. She allegedly withdrew an application to renew prospecting mining rights from the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). In 2015, Crossingham and her co-directors decided to sell the company and the withdrawn rights to a Northern Cape businessman for R100,000.
However, before payment was made, Crossingham sold the company again to another complainant, withholding the letter that confirmed the withdrawal of the mining rights. This misled the buyer into believing the rights were valid. The complainant then paid R1,368,000 for the company.
Following the payment, R100,000 was transferred to a personal account of one of the Rowen Tree directors.
The Hawks confirm the fraudulent transactions resulted in losses exceeding R1.3 million for the complainant.
Crossingham was granted R15,000 bail, and the case is set for further investigation on August 5. More arrests are anticipated as the investigation continues.
