TUESDAY, 200PM:
The former bookkeeper of Dr Allan Boesak’s Foundation for Peace and Justice was sentenced on Tuesday to six years in prison.
Bookkeeper Freddie Steenkamp, who had testified that he had been awed by Boesak and seduced by his lavish lifestyle, was two weeks ago found guilty of fraud and theft in connection with R3,7m in foreign donations intended for FPJ projects.
Mr Justice LA Rose-Innes said during a three-hour judgment that although much of the evidence seriously incriminated Boesak, the public should be reminded that it was Steenkamp on trial, not Boesak. The judge, who conceded that Steenkamp had been under the influence of Boesak’s personality, did not consider the ease with which money could be diverted as a mitigating factor.
Although Boesak and Steenkamp were both charged after a foreign donor began asking questions about its funds, the two trials were separated. Boesak returned earlier this year from the United States for his trial, which will begin in February next year.
The controversy dates back to 1995, when Scandinavian funders called in investigators to explain what had happened to money set aside for various childrens’ charities. When the funders uncovered cases of misappropriation, both Boesak and his committee blamed Steenkamp. The money was allegedly used for salary increases for Boesak, overseas trips by Boesak and his wife, and various “staff loans’.