REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, The "bizarre and ridiculous" behaviour of a man who worked on behalf African scammers, after himself falling victim to their fraudulent schemes, has baffled an Adelaide judge who said he could not "pin down" the motivation for the crimes.

David Lee Andrew, 65, pleaded guilty to 43 counts of money laundering, reduced from hundreds of charges and was sentenced to at least 14 months in jail.

The South Australian District Court heard Andrew was himself scammed, handing over $2 million of what was primarily his sick wife's inheritance, but continued to help the scammers by providing his Australian bank account as a conduit for other victims.

The court heard the Ghanaian and Nigerian scams were varied and implausible, and included an appeal for donations for sick children, bonds for rental accommodation and upfront tax on lotto wins.