Here’s what happened to Allen Barnes, the WPA Finance Officer bust for fraud

Former Western Province Athletics (WPA) Finance Officer Allen Barnes is serving the remainder of an eight-year prison sentence after defaulting on a repayment agreement linked to a R2.2 million fraud conviction.

Barnes made headlines in January 2020 when he disappeared after leaving his Bothasig home at around 03:30.

He was due to officiate at the Stragglers Beachcomber race at Strandfontein, but never arrived.

Vehicle found

His vehicle, a silver Toyota Corolla belonging to his fiancée at the time, was found the following day abandoned at Cape Town International Airport, prompting speculation about his whereabouts.

Barnes was eventually found in Johannesburg about a week later and arrested on fraud charges.

At the time, reports suggested that at least R250 000 had been stolen from WPA.

However, according to The Running Mann, WPA president Farouk Meyer confirmed that the actual amount involved was R2.2 million.

Meyer told The Running Mann that Barnes was convicted of fraud and sentenced to eight years in prison.

Plea agreement

A repayment arrangement was subsequently negotiated between WPA and Barnes’ lawyer, with the permission of the prosecutor.

Under the agreement, Barnes could avoid serving the prison sentence provided he repaid the full R2.2 million over five years.

The arrangement was accepted by the prosecutor and magistrate.

A key condition was that Barnes would be sent to prison to serve the eight-year sentence if he defaulted on a single payment.

The initial arrangement required quarterly payments and, according to Meyer, Barnes complied for a period.

He eventually defaulted.

Manage cash flow

His lawyer then asked for the payments to be changed from quarterly to monthly, arguing that this would make it easier for Barnes to manage his cash flow.

WPA agreed to the revised arrangement and Barnes resumed payments.

Meyer said Barnes repaid approximately R650 000 before defaulting again.

Following the second default, Barnes returned to prison and is now serving the remainder of his eight-year sentence.

Disappearance and fraud case

Barnes’ disappearance attracted significant attention.

He was later pictured appearing in court after his arrest, with reports at the time stating that he had been granted R5 000 bail.

The subsequent fraud proceedings received little public attention, leaving the outcome unclear. Until now.