31

Selebi ready to rumble

National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi feels good and is ready to face the music.

“I feel alright, I am okay, I am really fine. I am waiting to hear what these people (NPA) have to say on Friday,” Selebi told Sowetan yesterday.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will formally charge Selebi with corruption and defeating the ends of justice tomorrow at the Pretoria High Court. (Read more...)

SAIA setting up crime bureau

The insurance industry is looking to establish an insurance crime bureau, the South African Insurance Association (SAIA) has revealed in its latest newsletter.

It said that the ICB would not replace existing investigative units in member companies but would only become involved when more than one company was involved, serial offenders were identified and the involvement of organised crime was identified. (Read more...)

Anti-corruption unit nets billions

Over 21 000 public servants have been barred from receiving social grants and over 6 000 charged with defrauding the goverment - saving the state an estimated R7.7-billion - since the Special Investigating Unit began investigating fraud within South Africa's social security system three years ago. (Read more..)

30

MPs put Gigaba on the spot

Home Affairs Deputy Minister Malusi Gigaba faced a grilling from MPs on Tuesday, who demanded that he account for the perennially chaotic state of his department.

Gigaba's attempt to pass the buck to his director-general, Mavuso Msimang, was shot down by the portfolio committee chairperson, Patrick Chauke, who put his foot down firmly and demanded political accountability.

This comes hardly a week after the Cabinet said it would haul ministers and their directors general before the executive to account for poor bookkeeping practices. (Read more...)

Societe Generale CEO stays but crisis team takes charge

Societe Generale's board of directors on Wednesday kept chairman Daniel Bouton at the helm of the French bank but left him off a separate committee to take charge of the crisis over the multi-billion-euro trading scandal. (Read more...)

'Disbanding of Scorpions a political suicide'

Political analyst Adam Habib has described the ANC's decision to close the Scorpions down as political suicide. He says it could create perceptions that the ruling party wants to settle scores. (Read more...)

'Black dollar' chancers walk into lion's den

Two Ivory Coast nationals - intent on making some money out of the notorious black dollar scam - have picked on the wrong person - a Limpopo policeman holidaying in Durban. (Read more...)

Berlusconi cleared of fraud

Milan - A Milan court on Wednesday cleared former Premiere Silvio Berlusconi on a charge of false accounting related to the sale of the SME state food conglomerate in the 1980s, before the media magnate entered politics. (Read more...)

2 officials arrested for fraud

Nelspruit - Two Mbombela Municipality officials were arrested on Wednesday in connection with fraud and corruption, Nelspruit police said.

Spokesperson Leonard Hlathi said the officials were arrested for issuing fraudulent road worthy certificates for a fee. (Read more...)

Milking us dry

Eight dairy companies could face hefty fines similar to the fine imposed on Tiger Brands, if they are found guilty of fixing the price of milk.

The Competition Commission yesterday said it has gathered enough evidence against the dairy processors from investigations which started in February 2005. (Read more...)

Kerviel says SocGen must have known of his trades

The man at the center of a trading scandal at Societe Generale said that his activities could not have gone undetected by the French bank. (Read more...)

Auditor explains findings in Saambou case

The same forensic auditor who testified in the corruption trial of Schabir Shaik on Tuesday took the stand in the Pretoria High Court trial of two former senior Saambou Bank officials.

The officials are alleged to have been involved in the collapse of the bank six years ago.

KPMG auditor Johan van der Walt, who assisted the Directorate of Special Operations in their investigation into the collapse of the bank, started the arduous process of explaining his complex investigation and eventual findings to the court. (Read more...)

Fear and loathing

In 1997, South Africa's then-Auditor-General (A-G), Henri Kluever, raised several jangling alarms over various testy issues that had come to light, or come to light once again, in the 1995-1996 financial year in the affairs of numerous public entities.

There are scandals in every direction. Racketeering in and around tenders, where the public sector interacts with the private sector, and where the amounts involved often run into billions, remains a favourite jaunt for those who know how to play the game. This is especially excellent hunting ground, given that the players know that their antics have little chance of being detected.

One of the more brilliant pieces of historical tender racketeering was exposed by the Supreme Court of Appeals (SCA), South Africa's highest court (for the meantime), in the case of Minister of Social Development v Phoenix Cash & Carry [2007] SCA 26 (RSA). (Read more...)

29

Mpumalanga cop accused of corruption

Mpumalanga’s police commissioner, Afrika Khumalo, was implicated in corrupt activities in a statement made by convicted drug smuggler Glenn Agliotti, SABC news reports today. (Read more...)

DA to oppose Scorpions' incorporation into SAPS

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has reiterated that it will do anything in its power to oppose the incorporation of the crime and corruption busting unit, the Scorpions, into the South African Police Service. This follows a meeting between the DA leader Helen Zille and President Thabo Mbeki at the Union Buildings yesterday. (Read more...)

SocGen rogue trader escapes fraud charges

Paris - Accused French rogue trader Jerome Kerviel walked free after judges placed him under formal investigation on Monday for his role in $7 billion of losses at Societe Generale but stopped short of charging him with fraud.

Shares in the French bank took a battering as allegations emerged that a board member was guilty of insider trading related to the scandal. (Read more...)

Probe into council not over

Scorpions investigators have not ruled out the possibility of further arrests or the prosecution of individuals at the Msunduzi Municipality on charges of corruption, fraud and theft. (Read more...)

5391 civil servants are fraudsters

More than 5000 public servants have been convicted for defrauding the SA Social Security Agency (SASSA), Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya said on Tuesday. (Read more...)

Magistrate throws the book at 'trained con artist'

Stephen Rosen, described in court as a "trained con artist," was on Tuesday effectively jailed for six years on 101 charges of fraud and theft and three of unlawfully acting as an attorney and advocate. (Read more...)

28

Could the planned disbanding of the Scorpions successfully be challenged in the Constitutional Court? I was gently taken to task this morning by Paul Hoffman of the Centre for Constitutional Rights because I told the Mail & Guardian that I do not think there is a constitutional impediment to disbanding the Scorpions. (Read more...)

SocGen was warned about rogue trader last year

Exchange officials warned Societe Generale about Jerome Kerviel's deals late last year, a Paris prosecutor said, piling pressure on the French bank to explain how his rogue trades were not uncovered earlier. (Read more...)

Corruption case prepared against Ramatlhodi

Gauteng Scorpions head Gerrie Nel has finally prepared a prosecutable corruption case against former Limpopo premier Ngoako Ramatlhodi, four years after it was announced that the ANC leader would be charged.

Ramatlhodi is a member of the ANC's national executive committee and national working committee.

The Cape Times has reliably learnt of a Scorpions report, signed by Nel, laying out a case against Ramatlhodi and the intention to charge him. (Read more...)

Sharon’s son jailed for fraud

JERUSALEM - The son of former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon will begin a seven-month prison term next month after the supreme court turned down an appeal against the sentence today. (Read more...)

Seven NW officials linked to taxi permit fraud

Seven high ranking officials from the Department of Transport in the North West province have been suspended with immediate effect. Their suspension follows an investigation by the department on the issuing of fraudulent taxi permits in the province. (Read more...)

Saambou senior officials in court

One of the most complex insider trading trials ever in South Africa, involving the collapse of Saambou Bank six years ago, commenced in the Pretoria High Court on Monday when two of the bank's senior officials pleaded not guilty to 13 charges. (Read more...)

Heads may roll over SocGen rogue

DOUBTS are growing as to whether top managers at Société Générale (SocGen) can survive the blow to their credibility from the bank’s $7bn fraud scandal and keep its successful investment banking unit growing. (Read more...)

'Pikoli should be axed for good'

Justice bosses want suspended prosecuting head Vusi Pikoli permanently axed, and have given the Ginwala Commission 11 reasons why they think he should go.

But Pikoli's legal team have hit back by stating that he "prefers" that the case against him - and his response to the claims against him - be heard in public. (Read more...)

27

Rogue trader II

Unit struck terror into a long list of bad guys

SENIOR politicians are not the only criminals to have felt the Scorpions’ sting since the unit was founded nine years ago.

Barely a year after they were formed in 1999, the Scorpions were involved in what was then the country’s biggest drug bust. Several ringleaders were arrested.

During the bust, members of the unit seized mandrax, then valued at R200-million. The following year the Scorpions recorded their second major drug bust: a R400- million mandrax factory. (Read more...)

Rogue's fraud methods revealed

Paris - Societe Generale detailed on Sunday how a young trader allegedly lost the bank billions, saying he hacked computers and used "several fraudulent methods" to skirt controls.

Societe Generale said Kerviel misappropriated other people's computer access codes, falsified documents and employed other methods to cover his tracks - helped by his previous experience working in offices that monitor traders. (Read more...)

26

Out to draw the Scorpions’ sting

The ANC has decided to disband SA’s most successful crime-fighting unit by June. Their acting chief, Mokotedi Mpshe, warned members in a recent letter that their demise was now inevitable. The Sunday Times looks at the unit’s rise and fall. (Read more...)

'Security' credit card check a scam

A new scam involving Visa and MasterCard transactions is doing the rounds and bankers have warned their clients never to divulge any card details to anyone over the phone.

Fraudsters in this scheme pretend to be calling from a bank's security department. They then inform you that an unusual purchase pattern has been noticed on your card transactions, and that the "bank employee" is calling to try to verify certain information. (Read more...)

Widows' suffering continues

Former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown continues to live the high life while the poor widows and orphans, from whom he is alleged to have stolen millions, struggle to get by. (Read more...)

25

Scorpions incorporation into SAPS to go ahead

A senior ANC member has emphasised that the Scorpions' incorporation into the police service will go ahead, despite criticism. (Read more...)

Father and son granted bail for illicit cigarettes

The Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court granted a father and his son bail of R50 000 and R20 000 respectively. The two are facing charges of fraud after they allegedly made false declaration on imported goods.

This is after the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and SAPS confiscated illicit cigarettes worth more than R20 million at Eikenhoff near Alberton early this week. (Read more...)

R30m corruption trial delayed

Nelspruit - The R30m corruption trial of former Mpumalanga director general Advocate Stanley Soko was postponed on medical grounds on Thursday.

The Nelspruit regional court postponed the case after Soko's co-accused, axed Mpumalanga Economic Empowerment Corporation (MEEC) chief executive Ernest Khosa, filed a medical report indicating that he needed back surgery. (Read more...)

French bank fraud could easily happen here too

France’s second-largest listed bank, Societe Generale, has been hit by one of the biggest frauds in financial history.

The 144-year-old bank said yesterday that it had uncovered an “exceptional fraud” by one of its traders of 4.9-billion euros (about R51- billion). This is more than double the bank’s recent sub-prime losses of 2-billion euros.

The French bank will be forced to find emergency funding by issuing additional shares worth 5.5-billion euros. (Read more...)

Man thrilled by committing crime, court hears

A man who on Friday pleaded guilty to multiple fraud and theft charges, including illegally practising as an attorney and an advocate, blamed his behaviour on his decision to become "so flamboyant that I would attract a lot of positive attention".

Stephen Rosen, 49, appeared in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court where he told magistrate Amrith Chabilall: "I resorted to crime, not only for financial gain but, more important to me, for the sheer thrill of it." (Read more...)

24

Staff members steal R2,5m from W Cape administration

Thieving staff members caused losses worth R2,5-million in the Western Cape provincial administration in the last 12 months, the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crimes Court heard on Thursday. (Read more...)

Woman on fraud rap

A 46-year-old woman appeared in the Mmabatho magistrate’s court yesterday on a charge of selling fraudulent indemnity letters to taxi operators. (Read more...)

World Bank to beef up anti - corruption unit

The World Bank said on Wednesday it would adopt recommendations by a panel led by former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker to beef up its main corruption fighting unit. (Read more...)

Fraud unit probes unregistered college

The Bellville Fraud Unit is investigating whether an unregistered college has led hundreds of students and parents to believe its courses are accredited.

Three people have filed complaints against the Cape Career Training College and the investigation has been under way for about a year.

The college has said it has not been accredited since 2003. (Read more...)

Did the Scorpions go too far?

They chase their prey in a short, furious dash, employing a sublime combination of venom and brute force to overpower their victim. Then they eat their kill, head first.

So it has been with the local law enforcement agency formally known as the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO).

Remember those first television images? Zippy black cars with the menacing red scorpion logo emblazoned across the bonnet. Stern-faced and well-armed officers raiding the home of some white-collar lowlife. (Read more...)

French bank hit by €4,9-billion fraud

French bank Société Générale (SocGen) disclosed one of the biggest alleged frauds in financial history on Thursday, adding to a wave of gloom surrounding world markets battered by credit market losses.

SocGen, France's second-biggest listed bank, said it had uncovered an "exceptional fraud" by one of its traders.

It said this would cost the group €4,9-billion and announced plans to raise €5.5-billion through a capital increase to shore up its balance sheet, also reeling from a crisis in global credit markets. (Read more...)

23

Money row rocks Robben Island

Two senior managers at the Robben Island Museum have been placed on extended leave following the discovery of financial irregularities including a deficit of R25-million at the World Heritage Site.

Chief finance officer Nash Masekwameng and chief operations officer Denmark Tungwana are on leave with full pay pending a forensic audit by PriceWaterhouse Coopers. (Read more...)

Conmen trick owners into paying for UIF services

THE Department of Labour have warned business owners to be wary of conmen posing as officials of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).

According to head of communications for the UIF Kgomotso Sebetso (pictured), bogus “UIF officials” trick employers into paying for services. Several employers have already fell prey to the conmen. (Read more...)

Additional charges against 'fraudster'

A man who has been in custody for six years awaiting trial on 19 charges involving fraud and theft learned in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Wednesday that the number of charges had been increased to 101. (Read more...)

Mpuma corruption trial resumes

Nelspruit - Mpumalanga's former director general Advocate Stanley Soko is expected tp appear in court on Thursday when the province's largest corruption trial resumes.

Soko and axed Mpumalanga Economic Empowerment Corporation (MEEC) chief executive Ernest Khosa are scheduled to appear in Nelspruit's Regional Court for allegedly forcing government contractors to meet them in shady car parks and dark streets to pay massive cash bribes. (Read more...)

Cyber crime not confined to Microsoft - Sophos

IT security and control firm, Sophos, has published its Security Threat Report 2008, examining the threat landscape over the previous twelve months, and predicting emerging cybercrime trends for 2008. (Read more...)

Cops bust second Senior Scorpion

Top Scorpions investigator Ivor Powell was arrested last night in Cape Town after what police described as a “chase” through the city’s streets.

Powell, a former investigative journalist, was charged with defeating the ends of justice, driving under the influence, obstructing the course of justice and harbouring a fugitive. (Read more...)

Cellphone chip can take the heat

PARIS: Cellphone Sim cards can survive temperatures of up to 450C and possibly higher, a finding that could help probes into terrorist attacks and other crimes, scientists say.

The subscriber identity module (Sim) card - a fingernail-sized slice of plastic and silicon - can be a goldmine for detectives. (Read more...)

22

Bowling legend blames accountant

South African fast bowling legend Garth le Roux has blamed his former accountant and co-accused Deon van Heerden for his fraud charges and failure to pay income tax and VAT. (Read more...)

SABS to clamp down on errant bread retailers

The South African Bureau of Standards on Tuesday vowed to clamp down on retailers flouting bread production rules.

"The South African Bureau of Standards's legal metrology department is to take harsh action against retailers who are found to be in violation of the legal requirement for producing bread," the bureau said in a statement. (Read more...)

Mpuma officials accused of defrauding UIF

A disciplinary hearing is being held involving three labour officials accused of fraud in Mpumalanga, the Unemployment Insurance Fund said on Tuesday.

They allegedly stole over R300 000 from the UIF. (Read more...)

Cabinet to discuss the Scorpions

The future of the Directorate of Special Operations, known as the Scorpions, will be discussed at this week’s Cabinet lekgotla, government spokesman Themba Maseko said today. (Read more...)

Liberty Life fraud fighters alert firms to Great Payslip slip-up

Urgent review of payslip practice is necessary at large employers, says leading life assurer Liberty Life, a company in the forefront of the war on fraud as it takes an increasingly proactive approach to the job of protecting its millions of policyholders from the risk of identity theft. (Read more...)

Judge dismissed Brown’s appeal

Former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown, fighting civil and criminal cases over the collapse of the multimillion-rand financial empire, suffered yet another blow yesterday when an irate judge condemned his lawyers for abusing the justice system. (Read more...)

Scorpions 'victims of own successes'

The ANC's decision to go ahead with the disbandment of the Directorate of Special Operations (the Scorpions) drew strong criticism from opposition parties yesterday with UDM leader Bantu Holomisa threatening to challenge the move in court. (Read more...)

21

'Scorpions' dissolution sinister'

The African National Congress (ANC) was trying to protect its members from corruption charges by disbanding the Scorpions, opposition parties said on Monday. (Read more...)

ANC ditching Scorpions ‘to protect NEC’

The ANC is getting rid of the Scorpions in order to protect prominent ANC members from corruption charges, according to the leader of the Democratic Alliance, Helen Zille, the mayor of Cape Town. (Read more...)

Home affairs fraudsters to appear

Three home affairs officials, arrested on 39 counts of fraud, were due to appear in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Monday. (Read more...)

Nelspruit mayor blasted over 2010 contracts

The Democratic Alliance is threatening to take action against the mayor of Nelspruit and the municipality’s manager for 2010 for failing to declare their interests with regard to the awarding of contracts for Mpumalanga’s 2010 stadium. (Read more...)

Key witness ‘bumped off’

A key witness in the trial of two allegedly corrupt Booysens policemen has been shot dead.
Lindiwe Mthembu, 37, was expected to testify against the policemen in the Johannesburg magistrates’ court today. She was killed on Thursday night. (Read more...)

Who is to blame for dodgy data from Media 24?

Indications that the ABC report into the circulation fraud at Media 24's magazine division does not point any fingers at individuals - at least not senior individuals - are likely to disappoint some people.

But this failure in the report does not necessarily diminish its value. That can only be determined when the report - or at least its conclusion - is made public, which should be in a few weeks' time. (Read more...)

Silentbanker lurks on sites

In what is being billed as one of the most sophisticated cyber attacks to hit the Internet, a Trojan Horse programme has been issued that gets between computer users and their banking Web sites, giving thieves free rein to drain accounts and wreak financial havoc on their victims, says Canada.com. (Read more...)

20

ANC denies decision on Scorpions is Zuma related

The ANC says its decision to force government's hand to incorporate the Scorpions into the SA Police Service, is not influenced by any intention to squash the prosecution of party president Jacob Zuma. (Read more...)

Nel arrest to be investigated - report

The Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) will investigate the arrest of the National Prosecuting Authority advocate Gerrie Nel, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Sunday. (Read more...)

19

A litany of loans with little sense

Some of the loans the Land Bank made “lacked logical business sense”, says the forensic report into allegations of corruption at the Land Bank. (Read more...)

Land Bank boss ‘must be charged’

THE forensic report into corruption at the Land Bank has recommended that former chief executive Alan Mukoki face criminal charges of “dishonesty”, “fraud” and “breach of duty”.

The report was approved by the Cabinet, which referred it to the Scorpions, the SA Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority for action on November 7 last year.

But, four weeks later Cabinet withdrew it from the investigative agencies, and referred it back to Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana for “internal investigation”. (Read more...)

Province probes school’s secret millions

The Mpumalanga Education Department has launched a forensic investigation into how millions of rands in school funds at a special-needs school were secretly invested.

At the centre of the investigation is Andrew Watts, former headmaster of Platorand School in Belfast, who allegedly invested at least R3.2-million with various institutions over nine years. (Read more...)

Selebi's still in charge

Jackie Selebi is still in charge. He may indeed be on extended leave, in stormy political weather as the NPA negotiates that he make his first appearance to face corruption charges on February 1. But there can be little doubt that the national police commissioner - who is not suspended - remains boss. (Read more...)

18

Reassure the courts

In its 1991 constitutional principles, the ANC committed itself to a constitution which would incorporate a Bill of Rights, and which would place substantial powers in the hands of an independent judiciary.

This was not an obvious outcome of the struggle against apartheid: democratic government would be constrained in a way that undemocratic government never was. That commitment was given force in the new constitution, which asserts the principle that all power is subject to the law and commits us to an independent judiciary to apply the law. (Read more...)

Police corruption rising: Zille

There is a "rising tide" of corruption in the SA Police Service, Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille alleged today. (Read more...)

Research boost for Scorpions

The latest research by the Institute for Security Studies indicating that the Scorpions have had success in fighting organised crime and convicting high-profile people has reinforced calls for the elite unit not to be incorporated into the police. (Read more...)

Selebi to approach court in April

National Police Commissioner, Jackie Selebi, will approach the Pretoria High Court again in April in a bid to stop his prosecution on fraud charges and defeating the ends of justice. (Read more...)

Anti-fraud chief quits World Bank

The head of the World Bank's anti-corruption unit, Suzanne Rich Folsom, resigned on Wednesday to rejoin the private sector, a Bank spokesman said. (Read more...)

17

Selebi court appearance set for February 1

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the lawyers representing the National Commissioner of Police, Jackie Selebi, have agreed on a date when Selebi will appear in court. (Read more...)

OECD paper sheds light on Zuma trial

A document released this week by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) highlights issues to be raised in the trial of ANC president Jacob Zuma.

Zuma will face 18 charges, including one of corruption relating to the controversial 1999 arms deal, when his trial starts in August.

In a consultation paper, the OECD reviews attempts by member countries to combat corruption of foreign public officials since its anticorruption convention was signed more than 10 years ago. (Read more...)

Wi-Fi users, beware: hot spots are weak spots

Next time you are sitting in a hotel lobby checking email on your laptop, be careful: The "businessman" in the next lounge chair may be tracking your every move. (Read more...)

England coach Capello probed for tax fraud

England football coach Fabio Capello is being investigated for tax fraud by prosecutors in the northern Italian city of Turin, a legal source said.

The source said the investigation had been going on for at least a year. (Read more...)

Freedom index shows graft ‘significant’ in SA

South Africa’s economy has a freedom from regulation score of 63.2percent — but it has slipped to 57th position from 52nd last year in an assessment of economic freedom in 162 countries. (Read more...)

16

Italian minister quits after wife arrested

Rome - Italy's justice minister quit on Wednesday over an arrest order for his politician wife, a move that could threaten Prime Minister Romano Prodi's government because it depends on his party for a majority in parliament.

"I am resigning because between love for my family and for power, I choose the former," Clemente Mastella said in a speech to parliament after the arrest order was issued as part of a corruption investigation. (Read more...)

Faith in the system, if not leaders

With their likely next president charged with corruption and a police chief alleged to be in the pocket of a murder suspect, South Africans could be forgiven for feeling disillusioned with their leaders. (Read more...)

Con artists turn to text messaging

Con artists who started with recorded telephone calls and computer messages warning people to check a bogus Web site about their Empire Bank accounts have now turned to bogus cell phone text messaging. (Read more...)

Supreme Court ruling protects third parties from fraud lawsuits (USA)

Bankers, accountants and lawyers won powerful protection against US investor lawsuits yesterday when the Supreme Court made it more difficult for shareholders to sue third parties for frauds committed by companies. (Read more...)

Keep Scorpions as is - Holomisa

Johannesburg - United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa on Wednesday rejected suggestions that the Scorpions - an investigative unit of the National Prosecuting Authority - be attached to the police or disbanded.

"The United Democratic Movement (UDM) feels that the timing for the suggested closure of this unit and its inclusion in the police is not good, given the fact that the very people who are campaigning against the Scorpions are subjects of investigation," Holomisa said. (Read more...)

Murdered woman was state witness - claim

A woman who was shot dead in front of her two children, before being robbed of R70 in Pinetown on Wednesday morning, had turned state witness in a Department of Transport fraud case.

Futhi Ncwane, 38, had feared for her life after transport department officials implicated in the fraud case had approached her and asked her to change the statement she had made to police.

Popo Ncwane - her estranged husband - said: "Futhi was going to be a state witness in a fraud case involving the department of transport. Futhi was living in fear." (Read more...)

SAfrica police chief informed of court date-report

Lawyers for South Africa's national police chief Jackie Selebi, who is facing corruption charges, were informed by prosecutors that he must appear in court on Jan. 30, the prosecuting authority said on Wednesday. (Read more...)

Is your CEO a cybercrime target?

With one mouse click on a seemingly internal e-mail, your CEO could unwittingly enable a cybercriminal to mine his hard drive for credit card numbers, passwords to corporate databases or other proprietary information. (Read more...)

Investigation against Nel to continue

The South African Police Service will continue its investigations against Gauteng Scorpions boss Gerrie Nel despite all charges having been withrawn against him. Nel was arrested last week on charges of corruption and defeating the ends of Justice. (Read more...)

Advertising for Post Office fraud suspect

THE national director of public prosecutions will publish a notice in a newspaper at the weekend, hoping to inform a former Post Office regional manager, who allegedly defrauded his employer of R500 000 and fled to Zimbabwe or Zambia, of court proceedings against him. (Read more...)

Threat to sue Agliotti over claims

A senior prosecutor accused by underworld kingpin Glenn Agliotti of receiving “payments” from the Kebble family has scoffed at the claim and is considering legal action. (Read more...)

Brown blames curators for Fidentia collapse

Former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown yesterday accused the curators of his collapsed company of destroying what had been a highly profitable concern. (Read more...)

15

'Spygate' commission readies for hearings

Hearings into the City of Cape Town's spy allegations will start in the first week of February, the Erasmus Commission of Inquiry said on Tuesday. (Read more...)

VW's 'sex party' scandal deepens

Braunschweig, Germany - A former Volkswagen chief executive denied on Tuesday that he was aware of a secret fund used to pay for sex parties and bribes at Europe's biggest carmaker. (Read more...)

Selebi 'tipped off drug ring on UK alert'

Intelligence information from British law and order authorities had two years ago identified Cape Town harbour as a key shipment point of drugs being trafficked into the UK by a syndicate led by Glenn Agliotti.

In 2004 British intelligence alerted South African authorities that the Agliotti syndicate intended shipping three containers filled with cocaine from Cape Town.

This sensitive information was allegedly leaked to Agliotti by suspended Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi. (Read more...)

Ex-UBS Banker Settles Hedge Fund Fraud Charges

A former broker at UBS Financial Services has agreed to settle charges he participated in a multi-million dollar hedge fund fraud, the Securities and Exchange Commission said on Monday. (Read more...)

Fraud detection 'decreasing' (UK)

The decreasing number of fraud cases going through the courts is a growing worry for businesses, a new report has revealed. (Read more...)

Nigeria to set up new body to monitor corruption

Nigeria plans to set up a new body to monitor suspicious transactions to strengthen its fight against corruption in the public sector, President Umaru Yar'Adua said on Tuesday. (Read more...)

Woman held for illegally releasing criminals

Johannesburg High Court employee has been arrested in connection with the unlawful release of hardened criminals from prison, Johannesburg police said.

Spokesman Inspector Sanku Tsunke said the 30-year-old woman was arrested this morning and would appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court later in the day.

"She was charged with corruption, fraud, defeating the ends of justice and aiding and abetting an escapee from lawful custody." (Read more...)

Benefit scam run from closet

London - A 65-year-old London woman was sentenced to five years in jail for stealing more than £1.8m (R23.7m) through a benefit scam she ran from a secret room in the back of her bedroom closet.

Jean Hutchinson scoured newspapers for stories about people who had emigrated from Britain and then with the help of her cousin, stole their identities and began claiming benefits on their behalf, prosecutor Anuja Dhir told London's Blackfriars Crown Court. (Read more...)

Zuma’s appeal won’t affect trial - NPA

ANC president Jacob Zuma’s bid to have search and seizure raids declared unconstitutional will not derail the state’s case against him and French arms company Thint, the National Prosecuting Authority said today. (Read more...)

14

Ex-CA Chief Pays Final Fraud Bill

Sanjay Kumar, the jailed former chief executive of Computer Associates, has made his final $2 million payment as part of his restitution for the software company’s $2.2 billion accounting fraud, Newsday reported. (Read more...)

Another new Trojan intercepts online banking information

A new Trojan program is targeting unwitting users' bank data by intercepting account information before it is encrypted and sending it to an attacker's central database. (Read more...)

More big names in Agliotti affidavit

AN AFFIDAVIT handed to the Pretoria High Court on Friday by self-confessed drug smuggler Glenn Agliotti could open the way for the prosecution of a number of people, including senior police officials and high-profile businessmen. (Read more...)

Selebi quits as Interpol chief

Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi has quit as head of international crime-fighting body Interpol, the organisation said on Sunday. (Read more...)

NPA’s Nel claims ulterior motives

The man who spearheaded the investigation into National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi is himself due in court today.

Scorpions Gauteng head Advocate Gerrie Nel will face two charges relating to corruption and defeating the ends of justice, when he steps into the dock at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court today. (Read more...)

13

How the big pals did little favours for each other

Glenn Agliotti’s police cell writings detail how he paid the ‘Nascom’ to make problems go away.

IN EXCHANGE for the envelopes of cash, the Versace shoes or Hugo Boss outfits, Jackie Selebi owed his gangster friend — big time.

Now the two, who clearly had the same penchant for expensive imported clothing, might land up in the dock together. (Read more...)

12

How to stop e-scammers' con tricks

Never open attachments in emails from anyone you don't know or from an unreliable source, as they could contain spyware.

Be cautious about the personal information, like your date of birth, you make available in online forums or on social networking sites such as Facebook or Myspace.

In general, the Internet is a reflection of the real world, where con artists try to lure the gullible. So, if anything looks to good to be true, it probably is, and may well be a scam. (Read more...)

S.Africa's police chief on leave - Mbeki

South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Saturday he had given embattled national police chief Jackie Selebi, who faces corruption charges, a leave of absence.

"With effect from midnight last night we have given the national commissioner of police an extended leave of absence," Mbeki said. (Read more...)

Three Home Affairs officials arrested for fraud

Three Home Affairs officials were arrested on 39 counts of fraud, the department said today. The officials were arrested yesterday in Mahamaba in Mpumalanga and Cullin in Pretoria, said Home Affairs Director- General, Mavuso Msimang.

"The officials were arrested following a joint operation by the department's counter-corruption and security unit, the National Immigration Branch (NIB) and the Durban Organised Crime Unit." (Read more...)

Marion Jones gets six months

New York: Disgraced former athletics star Marion Jones was sentenced on Friday to six months in prison for lying about taking steroids in a doping scandal that cost the sprinter her five Olympic medals. (Read more...)

Beware SIM swop scams

The country's four major banks threw a wall of silence this week around investigations into online banking theft following 162 fraudulent SIM card swops reported by mobile operators.

And police estimate that at least R2-million has been stolen in more than 30 cases reported so far, but the banks will not disclose details. (Read more...)

11

Selebi in court scramble to pull Scorpions’ sting

THE tit-for-tat sparring between the Scorpions and police chief Jackie Selebi took a dramatic twist yesterday, with Selebi approaching the Pretoria High Court to prevent the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) from serving a warrant of arrest on him. (Read more...)

Man arrested at his illegal home affairs 'office'

A 49-year-old man, who allegedly had been raking in millions of rands by manufacturing fake documents, was arrested in Durban on Thursday night. (Read more...)

Nel and Selebi should be suspended immediately

THAT Advocate Gerrie Nel, arrested by police and facing charges including fraud and perjury, should have been suspended from his duties by the National Prosecuting Authority pending his prosecution.

The NPA has argued that Nel’s arrest is an act of grandstanding and observers have noted his role in the prosecution of the Commissioner of Police, Jackie Selebi.

The suggestion is that Nel’s arrest and pending prosecution ought not to be taken seriously and that he is capable of continuing with his duties as if nothing had happened.

But this argument should not be accepted. (Read more...)

Agliotti makes sensational turnaround

The Scorpions' star witness, Glenn Agliotti, says he never bribed Jackie Selebi - dealing a huge blow to the case against the national police commissioner.

Agliotti also claims he was bullied by the Scorpions into taking part in a "political game" to destroy Selebi, African National Congress president Jacob Zuma and others. (Read more...)

UN probes allegations of corruption, fraud

A U.N. internal investigative unit has found an unexpected amount of fraud and abuse at the United Nations and is currently investigating 250 cases, including alleged sexual and financial offenses.

"Our caseload has been very steady over the last three months, around 250 cases," Inga-Britt Ahlenius, head of the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), told reporters. "We found mismanagement and fraud and corruption to an extent we didn't really expect." (Read more...)

Durban police arrest suspect in ID fraud syndicate

Police in Durban have arrested a man suspected of being involved in Identity documents fraud. The suspect was arrested in a surburb south of Durban last night.

The man was in possession of scores of ID's, passports and other documents. (Read more...)

10

Court bid to determine Nguni‘s proceeds from corrupt actions

THE national director of public prosecutions has launched an application in the Port Elizabeth High Court against a former Post Office regional manager who allegedly defrauded his employer out of R500 000 and fled to Zimbabwe. (Read more...)

High court lifts liability veil on close corporations

The Cape high court has established new law for the circumstances in which members and officers of a close corporation can be held personally liable for the corporation's debts.

Adam Harris, an insolvency law specialist attorney with law firm Bowman Gilfillan, said that generally, close corporations could be set up to ensure that members were not liable for its debts. "But this judgment is significant in that the court has confirmed that the corporate veil may be pierced where there are special circumstances, such as fraud. Members of a close corporation should not think of themselves as invulnerable to attack from creditors." (Read more...)

Tanzanian bank head sacked

Dar Es Salaam - Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete sacked central bank Governor Daudi Ballali yesterday after an audit exposed fraudulent transactions involving the repayment of external debts. (Read more...)
 

1 Nel arrest: police 'ignored lack of evidence'

The police were so desperate to get Gauteng Scorpions boss Gerrie Nel behind bars that they defied state policy, lied to the National Prosecuting Authority and refused to accept the opinions of several prosecutors - who told them they didn't have a case. (Read more...)

2 Identity theft soars because ID forgery is easy — fraud service

REPORTS of identity theft grew 120% last year compared with the previous year, while overall fraud against retailers and banks increased 23% over the corresponding period, the South African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) said yesterday. (Read more...)

Send lawyers, guns and money

Gerrie Nel, a senior member of the Scorpions, was arrested in neo-Nazi style on Tuesday night, by 20 armed goons representing the South African Police Services (SAPS). "He's a wrestler" said an acquaintance of Nel, "but he's a little guy". The atavistic charade would have been more appropriate to the arrest of a paedophile holding a warm meat-splattered chainsaw, fresh from a recent kill. (Read more...)

Nel arrest a witch hunt - DA

The arrest of Gauteng Scorpions boss Gerrie Nel is a witch hunt to protect police commissioner Jackie Selebi, said the Democratic Alliance today.

Nel is heading the Scorpions’ case against national police commissioner Jackie Selebi.

"The axing of Vusi Pikoli and now Gerrie Nel has all the appearance of a witch hunt to protect Selebi," said DA spokeswoman on Safety and Security Dianne Kohler Barnard.

"The fact that it allegedly took 20 armed policemen to serve the warrant on Nel further reinforces this," she said. (Read more...)

Arrested investigator is Selebi’s nemesis

Gauteng Scorpions chief Gerrie Nel is the man at the helm of a complex investigation that could implicate national police chief Jackie Selebi. (Read more...)

09

VW's Piech wants to wash his hands of scandal

Brunswick, Germany - Former VW boss Ferdinand Piech, now head of the car giant's supervisory board, will try on Wednesday to convince German judges he was unaware of a corruption network that operated within the group for years. (Read more...)

Alleged leader of 'Suidlanders' in court

The alleged leader of an extremist religious group - Die Suidlanders - appeared in the Balfour magistrate's court on Wednesday on charges of fraud, police said.

Police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Vishnu Naidoo said Gustav Muller was alleged to have defrauded the Balfour municipality of approximately R92 000. (Read more...)

3 World‘s tax evasion experts meet in SA

INTERNATIONAL tax dodgers and their latest scams will come under the scrutiny of experts from up to 100 countries in Cape Town this week.

The experts will be attending the fourth meeting of the Forum on Tax Administrators (FTA), set up by the Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development.

“FTA meetings, which take place about every 18 months, represent the most significant assembly of heads of revenue and customs from over 100 countries,” organisers the SA Revenue Service said yesterday. (Read more...)

Public shaming of serial fraudster set aside

A Port Elizabeth magistrates' order that a woman with 203 previous convictions of fraud and one of theft, be publicly shamed with a placard around her neck proclaiming her guilt and apologising to her victims, has been set aside by the Grahamstown High Court as unconstitutional. (Read more...)

Believers ‘lost £3 million to Christian conmen’

A gang of Seventh-Day Adventists in London conned their fellow churchgoers into giving them millions of pounds to invest, which they then spent on luxury flats, holidays and cars, a court was told yesterday. (Read more...)

Top Scorpions official arrested

Scorpions boss Gerrie Nel has been arrested at his Pretoria home on charges of corruption and defeating the ends of justice, his attorney Ian Small Smith confirmed today. (Read more...)

Motshekga axes staff amid corruption claims

The provincial government has replaced the entire Gauteng department of education Learner Support Material unit after accusations of price-fixing and corruption. (Read more...)

Accountant Sentenced for Fraud

VIENNA, Austria (AP) — A court convicted an accountant Tuesday of embezzling $1.8 million from the Helsinki Federation for Human Rights to support his mistress — a crime that forced the respected group to fold. (Read more...)

08

4 Trial Begins in AIG Fraud Case

The trial of five executives in American International Group's financial fraud case got under way Monday, with the prosecutor saying that AIG patriarch Maurice "Hank" Greenberg set the scheme in motion in 2000. (Read more...)

Met cancels 800 credit cards in fraud probe

Almost one in four of the 3,500 Amex credit cards issued to Scotland Yard detectives have been withdrawn following an investigation into unauthorised spending claims. (Read more...)

5 Text books delayed by corruption probe

The weeding out of apparent corruption in the Gauteng Education Department was to blame for text book order delays for the 2008 school year, Gauteng Education MEC Angie Motshekga said today.

Motshekga said an investigation - which included police involvement - was underway into what appeared to be a price-fixing scandal. (Read more...)

Seven arrested for major investment fraud (Europe)

The former deputy chairman of the Dutch association of asset managers and a former lawyer are among seven people arrested on large-scale fraud charges, report various media on Tuesday.

The pair are alleged to have swindled investors out of tens of millions of euros in shady investment deals over the last 10 years, according to the Volkskrant. (Read more...)

SEC Clamps down on $30M Fraud

The SEC has filed a complaint against James Jeffery, Thomas Repke and 6 entities they controlled for orchestrating a fraudulent offering of a secured investment company. (Read more...)

Mokono to face the music

Limpopo Regional Land Commissioner Phulane Mokono will on Wednesday appear in the Nelspruit magistrate's court to face corruption charges, SABC news reported on Tuesday. (Read more...)

6 Crime costs business R3.5bn

Johannesburg - Crime is taking an increasingly heavy toll on business, which lost more than R3.5 billion worth of goods last year through shoplifting, fraud and robberies. (Read more...)

ANC backs Zuma for presidency despite graft charges

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's ANC said on Tuesday that newly elected leader Jacob Zuma would remain its candidate for state president in 2009 and expressed "grave misgivings" about corruption charges against him. (Read more...)

Call for independent probe into arms deal

Arms-deal corruption must be probed by an independent judiciary, Independent Democrats (ID) leader Patricia de Lille said on Tuesday. (Read more...)

Thint not in court before August: lawyer

Jacob Zuma's two co-accused -- the two South African subsidiaries of French arms manufacturer, Thales International -- are not making any plans to go to court before the August date set by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

Ajay Sooklal, the attorney representing Thint Holding (Southern Africa) Pty Ltd, and Thint (Pty) Ltd said today that there were no plans to go to court before August 4. (Read more...)

'Spy-gate' PI gets trial date

Cape Town - Mossel Bay private investigator Niel van Heerden is to go on trial on fraud and perjury charges at the end of March, it emerged on Tuesday. (Read more...)

7 ANC to produce arms deal report

The ANC will appoint an ad-hoc committee to draw up a "detailed factual report" on the arms deal, but the report will not be made public, the party announced today.

"We are not asking for the re-opening of the arms deal. We need to get a detailed formal report... to take informed decisions on what to do and locate this case and the charges against the president," party Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe told journalists. (Read more...)

07

HK business head up for fraud

Hong Kong -  The head of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Trade has been charged with fraud over allegations that she was involved in a share options scam. (Read more...)

8 Land commissioner still at work

The Land Claims Commission has not suspended its Limpopo regional commissioner following his arrest in December on multiple fraud and perjury charges amounting to R2.5m. (Read more...)

Still no decision on Selebi

Almost a month after the National Prosecuting Authority’s announcement that a decision had been made in the possible prosecution of police chief Jackie Selebi, South Africa is still in the dark over the fate of its top cop.

Selebi has been investigated by the Scorpions over alleged links to organised crime . Possible charges against him include corruption, racketeering, fraud and defeating the ends of justice. (Read more...)

Sacked deputy CEO wants R6.3m

Mpumalanga's Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) has been served with legal papers demanding R6.3m for allegedly forcing its deputy chief executive officer to resign and flee the province.

Segware Rapolai resigned in December amidst claims that fellow officials and MTPA board directors were trying to kill him, or alternatively bewitch him, to prevent him from exposing their involvement in various corrupt schemes. (Read more...)

Cyber spies and other espionage

A “cyber cold war” is developing as international web espionage and cyber attacks become the biggest threats to internet security, according to a report. (Read more...)

06

Zambian president sacks minister

Lusaka - Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has sacked a provincial minister after he was arrested and charged with corruption and abuse of office, a presidential spokesperson said on Sunday. (Read more...)

Panama's property development boom may be bubble ready to pop

The shiny skyscrapers that soar above Panama City's coast and loom over the small Central American capital give it a skyline more suited to an Asian powerhouse like Hong Kong or Singapore.

While a subprime mortgage crisis batters the US, construction has been booming in Panama. According to the most ambitious construction plans, Panama was to have been home to nine of Latin America's 10 tallest buildings by the end of the decade.

But the lights are off in many of the luxury apartments, new buildings sit empty, and suspicion is growing that Panama's property boom may turn out to be a bubble built by speculators on South American drug money. (Read more...)

Parmalat claims Grant Thornton 'looted' us

A vast network of phoney companies, billions of dollars electronically siphoned off by a college dropout and a gigantic deal to sell Cuba hundreds of thousands of tons of imaginary milk powder.

It sounds like the far-fetched plot of a cheap airport thriller and definitely not the kind of thing to interest cultured visitors to the world-famous Hay-on-Wye annual literature festival.

But these are the bizarre ingredients of a lawsuit against the Hay Festival's sponsor - accountancy giant Grant Thornton. (Read more...)

05

Beware SIM card swop scam

A Western Cape man was defrauded of more than R100 000 shortly before Christmas after he fell victim to a Joburg syndicate that illegally swopped his cellphone SIM card so that they could access his bank account. (Read more...)

How Schabir Shaik controlled Jacob Zuma for 10 years

Convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik ran almost every aspect of Jacob Zuma’s financial affairs for almost a decade.

A 16-page KPMG report that forms the cornerstone of the state’s case against Zuma for fraud and racketeering, paints a staggering picture of the complete financial hold Shaik had over the newly elected president of the ANC. (Read more...)

04

Nersa probes alleged procurement scam

Durban - The National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) is investigating alleged irregularities by two senior staff members, one of whom resigned ahead of a disciplinary inquiry. (Read more...)
 

Mabandla has studied Selebi report

Justice and constitutional development minister Brigitte Mabandla has studied the National Prosecuting Authority’s decision on whether national police commissioner Jackie Selebi "had a case to answer", her spokesman said today. (Read more...)

Ex-Goldman analyst jailed

New York - A former Goldman Sachs analyst was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for his role in an insider trading operation that used illegal tips from a grand juror and leaked copies of a market-moving magazine to make millions of dollars. (Read more...)

Spammer in the dock for fraud

Detroit - A man described as one of America's most prolific senders of spam e-mail was among 11 people accused in an indictment of defrauding people by manipulating Chinese stock prices. (Read more...)

Engineering college accused of fraud

A group of 39 students from the Engineering Skills Development Centre (ESDC) in Clairwood, Durban have accused the college of fraud. They say they paid R15 000 each in fees for a year long course in the different fields of engineering. (Read more...)

Zuma can count on me, says KZN businessman

A state witness in the fraud and corruption case against Jacob Zuma says he can't wait to take the stand - to defend the African National Congress president.

"I am hoping I will be called so that the truth can finally be told," KwaZulu-Natal businessman Vivian Reddy, who reportedly assisted Zuma after he incurred a debt of more than R1-million on his Nkandla development, told The Mercury on Thursday. (Read more...)

The Zuma super charges

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has thrown a powerful new book of charges at African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma, which includes the "super charge" of racketeering and a slate of new witnesses to testify against the newly elected ANC leader. (Read more...)

Mabandla knew of Zuma indictment

Justice Minister Brigitte Mabandla was informed of the National Prosecuting Authority’s decision to prosecute ANC president Jacob Zuma for corruption, fraud and racketeering.

Asked yesterday whether Mabandla had been informed prior to the NPA filing the indictment in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, her spokesman Zolile Nqayi said: "She was informed." (Read more...)

03

Graft hurts Africa’s health care

Worldwide more than 750 000 kids under five die each year from malaria, most of them in Africa where it is the main cause of infant mortality.

LIBREVILLE – The crowd of African women are tired and angry after hours waiting in the hot sun, but the officials will not vaccinate their children until the president inaugurates the campaign on state television.

When he finally does so, half a day has been lost from the five-day vaccination scheme. It is a small reminder that, for health care in Africa, politics can be as decisive as poverty. (Read more...)

Gono warns banks on money-laundering

Johannesburg - The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has directed banks - some of whom were found to have been working with so-called cash barons - to adhere to Zimbabwe's anti-money laundering laws and report any suspicious transactions, the Herald Online reported on Thursday.

Those caught on the wrong side of the law would meet the consequences of their actions, the Herald said. (Read more...)

China's ex-F1 track chief sentenced to four years

The man who helped bring Formula 1 racing to China has been sentenced to four years in jail as the latest casualty of a huge Shanghai corruption scandal. (Read more...)

02

Still no word on Selebi

The public are still being kept in the dark on the fate of South Africa’s national police commissioner, Jackie Selebi.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on December 16 said it had made a decision on whether or not Selebi "had a case to answer".

However, the decision would not be made public until it was studied by justice and constitutional development minister, Brigitte Mabandla.

NPA speaks out on Zuma

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has defended its decision to charge Jacob Zuma and called on politicians not to incite disrespect for the law.

Shaik 'paid' Zuma's ex-wives

Jacob Zuma's former wives, including Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, are alleged to have received payments from convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik.

Shaik is alleged to have paid Dlamini-Zuma a total of R22 000 in three separate payments, while Kate Zuma allegedly received six payments totalling R23 400.

Ten suspects nabbed in sim-swop scam

The Western Cape's commercial crimes unit has arrested 10 people, including bank officials and cellphone company employees, in connection with a sim-swop scam involving a syndicate.

01

Lotz investigator arrested

Private detective and former senior policeman Niel van Heerden was released on R2000 bail on Monday after being arrested on charges of fraud and forgery, Western Cape police said.