31

Fraudster found guilty of pension surplus stripping

Johannesburg - Jan Pickard was on Thursday sentenced to 24 months imprisonment, suspended for five years. He is one of the accused in what is considered the country's biggest white collar crime case, which involves heavyweights in the financial sector. (Read more...)

Ex-track star Maree faces prison on fraud charges

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) — A South African who was a U.S. track star faces prison on fraud charges here.

South African media report Sydney Maree was convicted and sentenced earlier this month in Pretoria to 10 years, five of them suspended, for stealing about 1 million rand from a government agency he headed in 2003. (Read more...)

30

Nigeria charges 10th ex-governor over corruption

LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria charged an ex-governor of southwest Oyo state on Friday with embezzling over 15 billion naira in the latest step by the anti-graft agency to crack down on corruption in Africa's top oil producer. (Read more...)

Suspensions costing millions

Suspended civil servants are costing the fiscus millions of rands each month - and some have been sitting at home on full-pay for more than a year. Others have been placed on special leave because they are facing criminal charges or because there are internal inquiries taking place. (Read more...)

29

ANC takes tough line on R28m city waste tender

A SENIOR manager in Buffalo City Municipality has been named in a report highlighting irregularities in the awarding of a lucrative waste management tender.

Last year, the municipality awarded a R28million tender to Waste Rite for waste management services and a R5m tender to Neo Solutions to implement a waste management bylaw. (Read more...)

DA to review arms documents

Cape Town - The Democratic Alliance on Friday welcomed Parliament's decision to allow members of the public accounts committee (Scopa) access to a series of confidential documents related to the arms deal. (Read more...)

R10m state bill for Zuma

The presidency has confirmed that it has forked out almost R10-million towards ANC President Jacob Zuma's legal fees, but has denied funding his Mauritian trips. (Read more...)

Assets of alleged tax fraudster seized

The seizure highlights the increasing rot within the tax industry where 9,5% of tax practitioners are not tax compliant.

Ivan Don van der Linde, a Gauteng accountant, who is alleged to have defrauded the South African Revenue Service (Sars) of millions of rands by submitting fraudulent Value Added Tax (VAT) claims for refunds, stands to lose assets valued at about R20m if he is found guilty. (Read more...)

Ntshona acquitted in T-shirts scandal case

FORMER Nelson Mandela Bay councillor Beza Ntshona, who was facing charges of fraud and possible forgery involving government documents over the purchase of exorbitantly priced attire for a housing conference, was yesterday acquitted of all charges by the Port Elizabeth regional court. (Read more...)

Avusa Media payroll clerk in court over fraud of R5-million

FORMER Avusa Media Ltd payroll administrator Laurence van Tonder, who allegedly defrauded the company out of more than R5-million in three years, has appeared in the Port Elizabeth commercial crimes court. (Read more...)

Labour department promises more hit than miss accounts

THE labour department had taken steps to rectify an administrative deficiency that, for the 2007-08 financial year, led to a qualified audit from Auditor-General Terence Nombembe, the department’s acting director-general, Les Kettledas, said yesterday. (Read more...)

28

New island tourist ferry attached in dispute over payment

Cape Town – Robben Island‘s new R26-million ferry has been attached because of money owed to boatbuilder Farocean on the purchase price. (Read more...)

"Navy request exposes fatal flaws in arms deal" - Rafeek Shah

Revelations today contained in a staff paper commissioned by the Chief of the Navy, Johannes Mudimu, which indicate that the navy "urgently and critically" requires billions of rands worth of new equipment, are yet further proof that the entire arms deal procurement process was fatally flawed. (Read more...)

Cash for degree case to resume

The investigating officer in the corruption case involving former University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) dean Professor Pumela Msweli-Mbanga and former lecturer Dr Nobubele Potwana is expected to give evidence in the commercial crime court on Friday. (Read more...)

Pressure on E Cape govt to table Pillay report

Pressure is mounting on the Eastern Cape Legislature's ad hoc committee to table its report on the damning Pillay Commission report. (Read more...)

R87 000 stolen from elderly

SOFCA has been robbed of more than R87 000 out of their residents' fund by one of their employees. The female suspect allegedly left her husband and children in Hermanus and boarded a plane to New Zealand just before the embezzlement became known. (Read more...)

Fraudster pleads guilty to writing cheques that paid out R47000

A SELF-CONFESSED cheque book fraudster, who is currently serving jail time, pleaded guilty to a further 27 separate charges of both fraud and theft amounting to R47000 earlier this week. (Read more...)

Arms deal ‘top secret’ on the boil

A political furore has erupted over the top secret documents related to the arms deal that were supposed to be under lock and key in Parliament.

Central to the furore are allegations that Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) chairman Themba Godi has refused DA Scopa member Eddie Trent access to the eight-year-old arms deal documents. Rumour has it that the documents have since been moved to the Ministry of Defence.

Trent said he wanted to see the documents because they “may expose possible wrongdoing associated with the arms deal”. (Read more...)

27

A-G set to probe R4bn ID system

With a price-tag of R4-billion, the controversial home affairs identification system upgrade is costing more than twice as much as initially expected.

MPs are now turning to the Auditor General for help. (Read more...)

Petrol card payments held up

Cape Town - Don't get annoyed with pump attendants if your petrol card payment takes longer than usual.

The Payments Association of South Africa, which regulates all banking transactions, has limited petrol card payments to R350 per transaction in an effort to combat fraud and overspending. (Read more...)

E Cape health officials up for fraud

Ten health department officials who were arrested for fraud appeared in the Zwelitsha magistrate's court on Wednesday, Eastern Cape police said. (Read more...)

Guilty on 157 counts of fraud

A Durban card-cloning kingpin found guilty of 157 counts of fraud as well as 28 counts of card-cloning was sentenced to 2000 hours of periodical imprisonment by the Durban commercial crime court on Wednesday. (Read more...)

Man and woman charged with failing to pay R5m tax

AN EAST London businesswoman charged with 60 counts of theft for allegedly failing to pay tax for her company appeared briefly in the East London Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Tabisa Nodada, 41, was not asked to plead but she and her co-accused, Richard Mnqokoyi, were warned to appear again on November 17.

The two allegedly owe the South African Revenue Services (Sars) over R5million. (Read more...)

26

Probe into Land Bank saga continuing: Manuel

Finance Minister Trevor Manuel says an investigation into alleged irregularities at the Land Bank is still underway. Manuel was responding to a parliamentary question by Freedom Front Plus Member of Parliament Pieter Groenewaldt. (Read more...)

Extradition law comes before ConCourt

JOHANNESBURG - Four people facing extradition on criminal charges challenged in the Constitutional Court on Tuesday the validity of the agreements that would facilitate their provisional arrest and transportation between South Africa and the US. (Read more...)

R. Kelly to be quizzed by Police over ’tour scam’

R&B star R. Kelly is to be questioned over his alleged role in a tour scam in South Africa.

The singer has been accused of profiting $130,000 (£70,200) from a tour despite failing to appear, according to reports. (Read more...)

Rude awakening for ex-mayor

A former Limpopo mayor got a rude awakening this morning when members of the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) arrived at his home to seize his luxury house, cars and furniture. (Read more...)

Why is Balfour protecting Bosasa?

The catering company, the interests of which Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour is enthusiastically protecting, is under investigation for tender fraud by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU). (Read more...)

25

Fraudsters named and shamed

THE final forensic investigation report into the school nutrition programme (SNP) has named and shamed public servants who allegedly defrauded the scheme of millions of rands.

Those who benefited were mainly teachers and nurses, some of whom have since left government employ. (Read more...)

Kebble fraud: will they or won't they?

THERE'S still no clear sign whether Randgold & Exploration (R&E) and JCI have reached a settlement over "widespread frauds and thefts" that could total as much as R14bn. (Read more...)

MEC’s initiative to fight fraud in his department

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for agriculture and environmental affairs Mtholephi Mthimkhulu has vowed to rid his department and Ezemvelo Wildlife of corruption and inefficiency. (Read more)

Foreign money fraud bust

Police have delivered a blow to a syndicate targeting Joburg's wealthy, robbing them of their offshore investments and money stashed in foreign bank accounts. (Read more...)

24

SACP wants political solution on Zuma

A "political solution" must be found to the criminal charges faced by African National Congress president Jacob Zuma, the SA Communist Party said. (Read more...)

Court slams the incredible Mr Simelane

Justice Department Director General Menzi Simelane received a harsh rebuke from Constitutional Court judges this week for not taking seriously a challenge to the dissolution of the Scorpions by businessman Bob Glenister. (Read more...)

Nigeria anti-graft police sacks own staff for fraud

LAGOS, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Nigeria's anti-corruption police said on Sunday it had sacked 11 of its own officials, most of them for lying about their academic credentials and one for trying to defraud a suspect. (Read more...)

Manuel files charges against arms-deal activist

Finance minister Trevor Manuel yesterday served court papers on arms-deal activist Terry Crawford-Browne for breaking an interim gagging order related to South Africa’s arms deal.

The contempt of court charge comes four days after Crawford- Browne — a former banker who has been embroiled in a nine-year battle against Manuel — laid a criminal complaint against the finance chief for perjury and money laundering. (Read more...)

22

Former KCB MD faces fraud charges

Former KCB Managing  Director Torrance Davidson  and a  manager with the Uchumi chain of supermarkets were charged with insider trading with the Supermarket's shares before it collapsed in 2005. (Read more...)

SAPS close Kara probe docket

The South African Police Service (SAPS) Commercial Crimes Unit has closed its bribery and corruption investigation against Azziz Kara, the banned former FC AK boss. (Read more...)

Mtsi named in corruption report

The leading contender to chairman Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature committee formed to consider the Pillay Commission corruption report is himself named in the report. (Read more...)

CT metro cop head suspended

The head of Cape Town’s metro police, Bongani Jonas, has been suspended until the end of September following his appearance in court on a fraud charge. (Read more...)

Gold Fields to fight $1.4 bln fraud claim

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Gold Fields, the world's No. 4 gold producer, said on Friday it would fight fraud claims against a unit of the group totalling 11 billion rand, news of which pushed its shares 2 percent down. (Read more...)

Scam unearthed at testing station

A daring fraud syndicate specialising in the sale of fake driver's licences has been unearthed by police at the Waltloo vehicle testing station in Tshwane. (Read more...)

21

Mpuma dept in fraud scandal

Nelspruit - Two senior Mpumalanga education officials have been implicated in the irregular approval of more than R1m in payments for teaching materials. (Read more...)

Heafield back in court

THE case against music promoter Duncan Heafield, accused of fraud amounting to R33-million, was postponed for a second time yesterday in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court. (Read more...)

20

Soccer boss appears for tax fraud

Bush Bucks football club boss Sturu Pasiya and his business partner are facing charges that they withheld almost R4-million in value added tax. (Read more...)

Court concerned about Glenister application

The justices of the Constitutional Court repeatedly expressed concern that they might be usurping Parliament by deciding on the constitutionality of legislation currently underway, aimed at disbanding the Scorpions. (Read more...)

Ezemvelo staff in corruption probe

At least 47 employees of Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife have been fingered in a forensic audit that followed allegations of fraud and corruption at the conservation body, the Witness newspaper reported on Wednesday. (Read more...)

FS fraudster gets 400 yrs

Bloemfontein - A Free State businessman who played a leading role in an international crime syndicate, presumably run by a Namibian multi-millionaire, was handed a sentence of more than 400 years in jail.

Effectively, he will have to spend 20 years behind bars. (Read more...)

19

Court shoots down Browns' appeal

A Cape High Court judge has rejected an attempt by former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown and his wife Susan to appeal a ruling on arrest warrants. (Read more...)

Clifford trial nears its close

THE Maureen Clifford fraud trial – one of the longest-running and most expensive cases in Port Elizabeth court history – is finally drawing to a close.

Investors lost R155-million when her Usapho Trust investment scheme collapsed in 2000. (Read more...)

Two officials suspended for ‘fraud’

The Mpumalanga department of education has suspended two officials for fraud.

Chief financial officer Michael Mogorosi and chief director Jerry Shoba have been suspended for paying more than R1 million to service providers for learner and teacher support material without authorisation. (Read more...)

'R90m to stay at home'

The SAPS has spent R90-million on salaries to police officers suspended on full pay over the past three years.

This includes a senior superintendent who has been suspended for 638 days. (Read more...)

18

Greater Letaba municipal staff under investigation

The management of Greater Letaba municipality in Duivelskloof, Limpopo, is being investigated for corruption after one of its employees laid a complaint with local government authorities. (Read more...)

Alleged Durban syndicate in PE court on charges of fraud

FOUR alleged national syndicate members, who stole over R600000 from various bank account holders, have appeared in court on 78 charges under the Organised Crime Act. (Read more...)

Woman faces fraud charges after faking jail sentence

A NELSON Mandela Bay councillor is facing more than 40 fraud charges after she allegedly pretended to have spent time in jail for political crimes.

New Brighton councillor Nonceba Sonjica, 57, appeared in the Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes Court on 47 fraud charges of R131553,18 and one of money-laundering. (Read more...)

GPs, pharmacists top fraud list

General practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists are the largest perpetrators of fraud, the latest KPMG Medical Schemes Anti-Fraud Survey has revealed. (Read more...)

17

German in court over bogus soccer academy

A German man appeared in court last week after allegedly defrauding people of thousands of rands through a bogus soccer academy. (Read more...)

Child cancer hoax leaves mother facing fraud charges

In a shameful bid to exploit the goodwill of others, a Johannesburg woman embarked on an elaborate money-making scheme which portrayed her three-year-old daughter as a dying cancer sufferer who needed “chemotherapy, aggressive surgery or a liver transplant”. (Read more...)

16

Trevor Manuel accused of lying and money laundering

Perjury and money-laundering charges are expected to be laid against minister of finance Trevor Manuel this week, relating to a document from South Africa’s notorious arms deal. (Read more...)

15

DSO protected interests of the working class

A number of presentations to the parliamentary portfolio committees of Justice and Safety and Security during this week, particularly those of the ANC, Cosatu, Popcru, Sadtu, uMkhonto weSizwe and also of George Fivaz, referred to the Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions) failing in its duty of properly addressing its mandate, being organised crime, while acting outside of its mandate by conducting unauthorised intelligence gathering and focusing its vast resources and taxpayers' money on investigating and prosecuting politicians, in some cases creating a security risk and damaging the country's reputation. (Read more...)

When will Zuma be tried?

Legal teams for the state and African National Congress (ANC) President Jacob Zuma will come to the Pietermaritzburg High Court on December 8 to argue over a date when he should stand trial. (Read more...)

Rich harvest for thieves

Internal controls at the Land Bank became so lax late last year that its treasury's dealing room was looted weeks after a malfunctioning security door was reported but not repaired, it emerges from internal Land Bank correspondence seen by the FM. (Read more...)

Officials granted bail

Two department of roads and transport officials charged with fraud and corruption were granted bail in the Nelspruit magistrate's court yesterday, Mpumalanga police said. (Read more...)

Ex-Protea convicted of fraud

Former Springbock cricketer Garth le Roux and his accountant were on Friday convicted of tax fraud.

The finding, by a Wynburg Regional Magistrate, came at the end of a trial that has been on the go since September 2006. (Read more...)

Govt 'fraudsters' in court

Johannesburg - Two Department of Roads and Transport officials charged with fraud and corruption were granted bail in the Nelspruit Magistrate's Court on Thursday, Mpumalanga police said. (Read more...)

14

In defence of the DSO

A number of presentations to the parliamentary portfolio committees of Justice and Safety and Security during this week - particularly those of the ANC, COSATU, POPCRU, SADTU, Umkhonto We Sizwe and also of George Fivaz - referred to the Scorpions failing in their duty of properly addressing their mandate, being organized crime, while acting outside of their mandate by conducting unauthorized intelligence gathering and focusing their vast resources and tax payers money on investigating and prosecuting politicians, in some cases creating a security risk and damaging the reputation of the country. (Read more...)

13

Top Economic Affairs officials suspended

THREE senior Department of Economic Affairs officials have been suspended amid allegations of financial mismanagement. (Read more...)

Arms deal probe goes on in UK

The United Kingdom’s serious fraud office is continuing to investigate the arms deal between South Africa and British Aerospace.

This was confirmed yesterday by SFO head of external communications David Jones. (Read more...)

Call to make price-fixing illegal

Delegates at last week's National Anti-Corruption Summit supported moves to make price-fixing a crime -- despite opposition from the Competition Commission. (Read more...)

Theft 'covered up' at Land Bank

Johannesburg - Land Bank bosses tried to cover up the theft of promissory notes and bills of exchange worth millions that were stolen from the bank's treasury last year. (Read more...)

Judge questions Clifford not taking the stand

THE judge in the Maureen Clifford trial last week wanted to know why she had not taken the witness stand, as she is the only one who could have shed light on certain issues.

Speaking during Clifford‘s final arguments on Friday, Judge Frank Kroon asked Clifford‘s legal representative advocate Kobus Brisley why Clifford had not testified. (Read more...)

Ex-cricket boss throws in towel

Disgraced former United Cricket Board financial head Diteko Modise has abandoned his bid to appeal his conviction and lengthy prison sentence for embezzling more than R7-million from the board. (Read more...)

12

Cape police chief fights fraud claim

Cape Town Metro Police chief Bongani Jonas will find himself on the wrong side of the law on Tuesday, when he stands trial on charges of fraud, forgery and uttering in the Carltonville District Court, west of Johannesburg.

Jonas is accused of illegally converting one of his heavy-duty military driver's licences to a civilian equivalent. (Read more...)

11

Former Sentula managers implicated

Former managers of Sentula Mining have been implicated in "irregular activities" associated with accounting errors announced earlier this year.

The discovery of accounting errors led to the restatement of the 2007 financial results, which caused the Sentula stock price to fall 25% on a single day. (Read more...)

Ferrostaal denies bribes, but paper stands by report

Johannesburg – German industrial giant MAN Ferrostaal said yesterday it had never made any payments to President Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma or to any other member of the ANC, or to any other public official.

Reacting to newspaper reports to this effect, MAN Ferrostaal said from Essen: “These allegations are wrong and entirely unfounded.” (Read more...)

Dead man ‘was source of Mbeki bribe claim’

THE weekly Mail and Guardian newspaper yester day named the source of a R30 million arms deal bribery claim against President Thabo Mbeki, but said the man had died in a car crash last year. A former Umkhonto weSizwe soldier and ex-member of the National Intelligence Agency’s (NIA) anti-corruption unit, Mhleli Paul Madaka, was reported to be the source of the allegations, first printed in the Sunday Times at the weekend. (Read more...)

Mucky, mucky, Corpcapital

Why does Corpcapital still matter? And for whom?

It matters because the evidence suggests that serious irregularities took place at Corpcapital, and that Jeff Liebesman, the CEO, and certain executives benefited enormously while shareholders were prejudiced. (Read more...)

Govt denies obstructing arms probe

Justice Director General Menzi Simelane has defended the South African government against claims that it stonewalled British and German requests for cooperation in probing the arms deal and criticised the Scorpions for liaising with Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO). (Read more...)

10

Komphela cashes in on ferry folly

Butana Komphela, the controversial chairperson of Parliament's sports committee, is the key empowerment shareholder in a new Robben Island ferry currently making its way from Naples in Italy to Cape Town.

The vessel, named the Adriatic Princess, was bought second-hand for R26-million by an obscure Bloemfontein firm in which Komphela holds an interest. (Read more...)

Mbeki was on Scorpions list

Scorpions investigators probing the arms deal asked to meet President Thabo Mbeki after questions surfaced about the president having met foreign arms company executives, suspended prosecutions chief Vusi Pikoli has revealed. (Read more...)

A very odd way to buy a submarine

The selection of the German Submarine Consortium (GSC) -- led by MAN Ferrostaal -- as a preferred bidder was such a farce that the possibility of corruption has become an almost irresistible inference. (Read more...)

Fraud scandal rocks ANC

Disgraced former ANC chief whip Mbulelo Goniwe’s alleged mismanagement has been cited as one of the reasons for the scandal in which several ANC parliamentary caucus officials were suspended this week. (Read more...)

09

Sh1.6bn fraud unearthed at top mobile phone firm

Police are holding several suspects, including some Vodacom employees, over a major racket in which the mobile phone company is believed to have lost Sh1.6 billion, The Citizen can reveal today. (Read more...)

Nigeria suspends oil delta agency head in graft probe

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua on Friday suspended the head of a government agency responsible for the development of the oil-producing Niger Delta, days after local media accused the official of corruption. (Read more...)

08

Cosatu claims Scorpions a ‘security threat‘

Cape Town – The Scorpions had become a “law unto themselves” and posed a “security threat” to the country, Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said yesterday. (Read more...)

07

‘Bond‘ must clean hospital for misappropriating funds

FORMER Port Elizabeth attorney Mpumelelo “Bond” Nyoka will now be cleaning the Elizabeth Donkin Hospital, as part of a suspended sentence handed down yesterday.

Nyoka, 50, who lives in Bluewater Bay, was convicted unlawful misappropriation of trust funds valued at R461731 after being charged by the commercial crime unit. The unit discovered that he had misappropriated funds belonging to his clients. (Read more...)

Computers seized for R21m probe

POLICE confiscated computers from a provincial government office in Bhisho yesterday in connection with a fraud case totalling nearly R21 million. (Read more...)

Cheques get given the bounce

Major retail companies have warned that they will no longer accept cheques as a valid method of payment of accounts or for purchases because of the increase in fraudulent transactions. (Read more...)

06

CapeNature spat to be reported on

A potentially explosive forensic audit report of the alleged alteration and destruction of CapeNature board minutes, and the leaking of a confidential management report, has been completed and will be presented soon. (Read more...)

Giant online security hole slowly shrinking

allowing criminals to redirect traffic silently to websites under their control. The problem is being fixed, but its extent remains unknown and many people are still at risk. (Read more...)

Clifford was one of the masterminds, court told

AFTER almost four years, the finish line for the Maureen Clifford fraud trial is finally in sight.

State advocate Marius Stander yesterday placed his 700-page heads of argument before the Port Elizabeth High Court and started working roughly through this lengthy document.

The case deals with fraud charges against Clifford, her daughter, Dalene (De Wit) Conway, Clifford‘s sister, Thelma van Rooyen, and former Absa bank officials Otto Swart, Gerhard Visagie and Niel Terblanche.The six are also charged with the contravention of the Bank Act. (Read more...)

Bakgatla chief faces sentence

Controversial Bakgatla-Ba-Kgafela Chief Nyalala John Molefe Pilane will be sentenced tomorrow in the Mogwase regional court near Sun City, where he was earlier convicted of fraud and corruption. (Read more...)

05

Nigeria charges 9th ex-governor with embezzlement

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria charged a former state governor and close ally of an ex-vice president with graft and money laundering on Tuesday, a latest move in a crackdown on alleged corruption during the country's previous administration. (Read more...)

Petitions on Scorpions' future won't be ignored:MP

Senior ANC MP's have strongly denied that public submissions on the proposed disbanding of the Scorpions carry no weight. This follows reports that a decision to disband the elite crime fighting unit was taken at last year's ANC conference in Polokwane and that public opinion cannot change that. (Read more...)

Price fixing a big problem in SA

The Anti-Corruption Forum has called for tougher sanctions against companies which have been found guilty of price-fixing. The Forum is meeting on the final day of discussions on the impact of price-fixing on communities. (Read more...)

ID smart cards launched in Dec

Cape Town - Public Service Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi told a media briefing in Pretoria on Tuesday that ID fraud is rife, and the existing IDs will soon be replaced with ID smart cards. (Read more...)

I'll expose everybody - Zuma

Pietermaritzburg - African National Congress president Jacob Zuma on Tuesday vowed he would take down other officials if the state continued to pursue him for alleged corruption in South Africa's multi-billion rand arms deal.

Speaking at the end of a two-day court hearing on the legality of corruption, fraud, racketeering and money laundering charges laid against him last year, Zuma told his supporters that the "whole truth" about the arms deal might be revealed if he were put on trial. (Read more...)

Three Robben Island leaders suspended

The Robben Island Museum Council has refused to comment on a damning forensic report which led to the suspension of three top island executives, including chief executive Paul Langa. (Read more...)

Judge to rule on S.Africa's Zuma next month

PIETERMARITZBURG, South Africa, Aug 5 (Reuters) - A South African judge said on Tuesday he would decide next month on ruling party leader Jacob Zuma's bid to have a corruption case against him dismissed. (Read more...)

Marathon Maureen Clifford trial reaches milestone today

THE marathon Maureen Clifford fraud trial will reach an important milestone today when the state starts delivering its closing argument. (Read more...)

04

Army clerk jailed for fraud

A senior SA National Defence Force administration clerk was on Monday jailed for five years for fraud involving more than R1-million.

The sentence under section 276(1)(i) of the Criminal Procedure Act means Zelda Wolmarans, 46, will have to serve at least a sixth of her term before she can be released under correctional supervision. (Read more...)

Thint case postponed to Dec

Pietermaritzburg - Judge Chris Nicholson on Monday ordered that the criminal case against French arms manufacturing giant Thint be postponed until December 8. (Read more...)

SA failing in stemming corruption: PSC

The Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, Stan Sangweni, says South Africa has failed to reduce the scourge of corruption since the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Forum in 1999. He was speaking during the 3rd Anti-Corruption Summit in Boksburg on Gauteng's East Rand. His comments come as ANC President Jacob Zuma appeared in the Pietermaritburg High Court this morning. (Read more...)

A truly horrendous collector of debts

In the first case of its kind, the National Director of Public Prosecutions is seeking to seize the ill-gotten gains of a debt-collecting firm found guilty of faking garnishee orders.

Earlier this year, a major South African debt collecting company - Pretoria-based Kochnel, Bantjes & Partners (KNB) - was found guilty by a disciplinary hearing of the Debt Collectors' Council of something truly horrendous. (Read more...)

03

Zuma trial: top legal minds in court

Two of the country’s top legal minds face off in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday in ANC president Jacob Zuma’s attempt to have the decision to prosecute him declared unlawful. (Read more...)

Zuma could escape standing trial: analyst

Political analyst Somadoda Fikeni says it is possible that ANC president Jacob Zuma might not stand trial on fraud and corruption charges, if he becomes the country's president. Zuma is to appear in the Pietermaritzburg High Court tomorrow on charges of corruption, tax evasion and recketeering.

Fikeni says in a bid to save Zuma from going to court, Parliament could make a Constitutional amendment, pass a special legislation or even give Zuma a plea bargain. (Read more...)

02

Mbeki counters corruption report

President Thabo Mbeki’s office has urged anyone with evidence of corruption against him to come forward, SABC radio reports.

Spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga was reacting to what the broadcaster said was a report due to be published in a few days which alleges that a German company involved in SA’s multi-billion rand arms deal paid Mbeki large sums of money to secure contracts. (Read more...)

German shipbuilder denies paying Mbeki a bribe

German Shipbuilding conglomerate, MAN Ferrostaal has again rejected allegations that it paid South African President Thabo Mbeki, millions of rands to secure contracts in his country’s arms deal. (Read more...)

01

Zuma showdown on Monday

“We are trial-ready.” These were the confident words of National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Tlali Tlali after yesterday’s Constitutional Court ruling went against ANC president Jacob Zuma. (Read more...)

Ginwala: Selebi submits 24-page document

National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi believes his right to a fair trial for corruption has been "irreparably damaged" by the evidence led in the Ginwala Inquiry.

And Selebi has expressed unhappiness over the fact that his legal team was not given the opportunity to respond to "one-sided and distorted" evidence, related to the corruption case against him, by suspended prosecuting head Vusi Pikoli. (Read more...)

Pikoli failed as head of NPA - state

Vusi Pikoli had failed as head of the National Prosecuting Authority, the State said on Friday as it finished its closing arguments on his fitness to hold office.

Advocate Kgomotso Moroka told the Ginwala inquiry in Johannesburg that Justice Minister Brigitte Mabandla had recommended and accepted his appointment as National Director of Public Prosecutions as he was not only properly qualified as a lawyer, but he had special qualities. (Read more...)

Zuma 5, State 31

ANC President Jacob Zuma has been buried in a legal landslide: 31 to 5. Thirty-one is the number of civil rulings against Zuma in the past three years.

Five is the number of judges who have supported Zuma's legal efforts to stop the Scorpions from accessing or using alleged evidence of corruption against him.

And now, in addition to Thursday's two bruising rulings against Zuma, South Africa's highest court has strongly hinted that courts should "discourage" the type of pre-trial litigation that his legal team have been pursuing in and out of South Africa. (Read more...)