news july 08

Fraud News from Africa: July 2008

Conman's gardener tells of lies

Pretoria - Peter Nyembe, the former gardener of alleged conman Kobus Boshoff, claims in a police statement that he passed only Grade 5 and can't open a bank account without help.

But Boshoff is believed to have used Nyembe's name to open a bank account, create front companies, open cellphone contracts and buy 11 TV sets from Teljoy. (Read more...)

Court shoots down Zuma's application

All but one of the judges of SA's Highest Court have dismissed ANC President Jacob Zuma's efforts to quash alleged evidence of his corruption.

Referring to Cape Judge President John Hlophe's alleged attempt to influence the Constitutional Court to rule in Zuma's favour, Justice Pius Langa this morning said: ?This judgment affirms that the alleged attempt was unsuccesful." (Read more...)

NPA set for big fight with Zuma

THE battle lines have been drawn for next week’s court showdown between the National Prosecuting Authority and ANC president Jacob Zuma.

An affidavit by senior Scorpions investigator Johan du Plooy tackles head-on Zuma’s claims that his constitutional rights were violated by the decision to recharge him with corruption. Du Plooy described the claims as ‘‘false, scurrilous and defamatory’’. His affidavit was lodged with the Pietermaritzburg High Court yesterday.

Zuma faces 12 charges of fraud, four counts of corruption and one count each of racketeering and money laundering. His legal team, however, has launched an application to have the charges against him withdrawn. (Read more...)

Parliament set to disband elite S.Africa crimefighters

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - An elite South African crime-fighting unit, which was accused by the ruling ANC of abusing its power in political cases, will be dissolved, a parliamentary committee said on Wednesday. (Read more...)

Court scrap Brown plea deal

The gloves came off as the State ended plea bargain arrangements with fraud accused and former Fidentia boss, Arthur Brown, who changed lawyers again.

State advocate Bruce Morrison SC went so far on Tuesday as to ask Cape Town regional court magistrate Wilma van der Merwe to order Brown's attorney to return a draft of the latest plea bargain arrangements. (Read more...)

Kasrils takes stand in hoax email trial

A document relating to the ANC's so-called hoax email saga was being heard in camera in the Pretoria specialised commercial crimes court on Wednesday, with Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils taking the stand. (Read more...)

Health Council warns doctors

The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) warned doctors on Wednesday against forensic investigators who illegally conduct random audits.

The organisation said it often happened that forensic investigation companies, acting on behalf of medical aid companies, conduct random audits on healthcare practitioners believed to have claimed illegally from medical schemes.

But the investigators did not have the right to see confidential patient information. (Read more...)

Brown not fit to stand trial: attorney

The case of Former Fidentia boss, J Arthur Brown, has been postponed to August 7 in the Cape Town Regional Court. Brown's attorney, Rashaad Khan, says this will allow them time to get Brown into a private medical facility for treatment. (Read more...)

Durban therapist up on 623 fraud charges

A 43-YEAR-OLD Durban physiotherapist appeared in the Port Elizabeth commercial crimes court yesterday on 623 charges of fraud after allegedly claiming more than R3-million worth of false injured-on-duty claims. (Read more...)

Robben Island crisis not over yet

More Robben Island Museum Council's managers could find their jobs on the line, in the wake of chief executive officer Paul Langa's suspension late last week.

Langa, chief operating officer Denmark Tungwana and chief finance officer Nash Masekwameng face disciplinary action relating to what chair Naledi Tsiki describes as "gross negligence and mismanagement". (Read more...)

Goodwin still out of Scorpions' clutches

The District Court of California has dealt a blow to the Scorpions' attempts to extradite the alleged criminal mastermind behind the Fidentia fraud, Steve Goodwin, to South Africa.

Judge Oswald Parada ruled last week that Goodwin cannot be extradited until South Africa's Constitutional Court has made a finding on whether the extradition treaty between the United States and South Africa has legal standing. (Read more...)

Krion accused to seek stay of prosecution

The accused in the Krion pyramid investment scheme trial are to seek an order to stop the State from prosecuting them.

This prevented the Pretoria High Court on Monday from setting down a date for their criminal trial. (Read more...)

Who is in the hot seat at Zuma's trial?

Judge Chris Nicholson, a widely respected former human rights lawyer, is expected to be in the hot seat presiding over next week's attempt by ANC President Jacob Zuma to have his corruption case deemed an "unlawful prosecution" and possibly struck from the roll. (Read more...)

Police arrest Chats woman suspect in R1m housing scam

A Chatsworth woman who has been arrested for allegedly duping home-seekers in a real estate scam has promised to repay her victims.

The woman, who cannot be named until she appears in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court tomorrow, was nabbed on Friday by Bayview police at a relative’s home in Camperdown, outside Pietermaritzburg, after a month-long hunt. (Read more...)

The despot and his 33 homes

President’s family assets include posh Paris properties and cars bought with state funds.

A mansion worth R220-million in one of Paris’s most elegant districts has become the latest of 33 luxury properties bought in France by President Omar Bongo Ondimba of Gabon, the world’s longest-serving leader, and his family, it was alleged two weeks ago.

According to files seen by The Sunday Times of London, a French judicial investigation has discovered that Bongo, 72, and his relatives also bought a fleet of limousines, including a R4.5-million Maybach for his wife, Edith.

Payment for some of the cars was taken directly from oil-producing Gabon’s treasury. (Read more...)

Land Bank dossier damns Xingwana

An explosive dossier outlining irregularities at the beleaguered Land Bank implicates Land and Agriculture Minister Lulu Xingwana in allegedly removing files on suspicious Land Bank deals and ordering the bank to pay out a farmers’ union. (Read more...)

R&E's claims against JCI balloon to R14bn

THE claims Randgold & Exploration (R&E) has lodged against mining investment group JCI has ballooned in value to R14bn, but there are less expensive alternatives that would effectively drain JCI of all value left behind after a period of rampant fraud under Brett Kebble and other management. (Read more...)

Zuma wants Scorpions to pick up legal bill

ANC President Jacob Zuma wants the Scorpions to pay for slamming his political conspiracy accusations against the state as "unfounded, scandalous, vexatious and often irrelevant".

But, in an affidavit before the Pietermaritzburg High Court, he has also admitted that it is difficult for him to produce evidence to support his plot claims. (Read more...)

Investigation launched into SASSA's management

Pretoria - Minister of Social Development Dr Zola Skweyiya has instituted an urgent investigation into the allegations of inappropriate management practices at the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).

The allegations, made by SASSA's employees, include discrimination, the inappropriate treatment of women staff, irregular appointments and the abuse of power by senior management.

The Public Services Commission is to investigate the allegations and make recommendations on strategies and remedial actions to resolve the situation. (Read more...)

Ruling party leader queries validity of tax investigation

Durban – ANC president Jacob Zuma has disputed the validity of the state‘s decision in 2005 to expand its investigations into his affairs.

This is contained in an affidavit filed in the Pietermaritzburg High Court yesterday. (Read more...)

Police corruption ‘will flourish’ if Scorpions go

HIGH-level officers in the police would be above the law, in a force “already riddled with corruption”, if legislation aimed at shutting down the Scorpions was passed, the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation warned yesterday. (Read more...)

Ongoing battle against insurance fraud syndicates

EASTERN Cape life insurance investigators became suspicious when they discovered 30 policies on the life of a 12-year-old boy diagnosed with HIV/Aids.

Most of the policies, they found, had been taken out by people with no insurable interest in him, as required by South African law. (Read more...)

The official’s name is known to Sowetan.

Health MEC Peggy Nkonyeni has also launched an urgent investigation after eight computers containing valuable information were stolen from the Enseleni health centre on the North Coast. (Read more...)

Zuma disputes extension of probe

ANC president Jacob Zuma has disputed the validity of the State’s decision in 2005 to expand its investigations into his affairs. (Read more...)

Dentist, family in court for money laundering

DENTIST Abdul Mahomed, his former wife Muneera and brother Iqbal Mohamed appeared in the Port Elizabeth commercial crimes court yesterday afternoon on various charges of money laundering. (Read more...)

KZN home affairs officials up for extortion

Two Durban home affairs officials who allegedly demanded money to release two arrested Swazi nationals will face corruption and extortion charges in court on Wednesday, KwaZulu-Natal police said. (Read more...)

Chiluba's wife to stand trial for corruption

Lusaka - A Zambian judge ordered on Tuesday the wife of former president Frederick Chiluba to stand trial in August for alleged corruption regarding funds and property she received during his rule. (Read more...)

Man pleads guilty after decade in jail

A con man who defrauded elderly women has been sentenced to nine years' imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years, in the Pretoria magistrate's court.

Johan Myburgh, who spent 10 and a half years in prison awaiting trial, earlier this week pleaded guilty to seven charges of fraud. (Read more...)

Team to probe ‘value’ of Pillay report

THE Pillay Commission of Inquiry is to come under scrutiny by an ad hoc committee set up by the Eastern Cape government.

The committee will attempt to ascertain whether the R10 million spent on the commission was value for money. The committee will not investigate the report, nor call those who are accused in the document to account. However, it will investigate whether the commission had fulfilled its mandate within the set timeframe. (Read more...)

Councillors told to buck up

With more than half of KwaZulu-Natal's municipalities in crisis, councillors were read the riot act about their performance and told just how to do their jobs on Tuesday.

There are more than 30 forensic investigations into various municipalities. Local government MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu laid down the law at a local government symposium on Tuesday, saying a stable political environment was critical for effective decision-making. (Read more...)

Expert: SA still a needs Scorpions methods

South Africa's fight against organised crime may be jeopardised if a similar approach and methodology is not applied to the new crime-fighting unit that will replace the Scorpions, according to Gail Wannenburg, a member of the Directorate of Special Operations and consultant to the South African Institute for International Affairs project on organised crime.

Her report on what effect the disbandment of the Scorpions would have on organised crime was published by the Institute for Security Studies in the latest South African Crime Quarterly. (Read more...)

Will of the people stomped with the Scorpions

ABOUT a year ago, concerned politicians working with business groups presented a review of the criminal justice system to the cabinet, which approved its recommendations in November. This review has been kept from the public. Nevertheless, it was reported by journalists that, among other worrying findings in the review, a severe shortage of police detectives meant that more than 1-million incidents of crime (half of that year’s figures) did not get investigated, let alone prosecuted. (Read more...)

Businessman trying to delay trial - Scorpions

Controversial businessman Gary van der Merwe is lodging a Cape High Court application in which he questions whether the Scorpions have the mandate to prosecute him for fraud and Foreign Exchange Control regulations.

Van der Merwe was arrested at Cape Town International Airport in 2004 while trying to leave the country with R1,5-million in foreign currency. (Read more...)

Massive Ekurhuleni land probe

The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality is reviewing more than 500 land transactions worth millions of rands to uncover possible corruption and maladministration. (Read more...)

Light shed on Kebble, Stratton

M-Net news magazine programme Carte Blanche has flighted a programme on John Stratton, a leading protagonist in the Brett Kebble saga.

However, Stratton proved to be an absent lead character for the most part in the Australian-made documentary aired on Sunday, as he twice failed to arrive for interviews with the filmmakers.

When the programme's makers door-stopped him, a gaunt Stratton claimed that the attempts to extradite him were politically driven, and he also denied that he and his partner Kebble had run JCI into the ground. (Read more...)

Cop admits corruption

A senior police officer has pleaded guilty in the Pretoria specialised commercial crimes court to a charge of corruption.

Superintendent Deon Snyders, 43, of Silverton admitted in a plea explanation on Friday that he had received a "reward" of R10 000 in exchange for removing certain documents from a docket. (Read more...)

Serial killing insurance scam

Police have cracked an insurance fraud syndicate and arrested three suspected serial killers for the murders of 21 people.

KwaZulu-Natal police have said the death toll may be higher as investigations are continuing. (Read more...)

Kenyan police 'most corrupt'

Nairobi - Kenya's police force has been ranked as the east African nation's most corruption-prone institution for the seventh time in a row by watchdog, Transparency International, Reuters has reported. (Read more...)

Record set straight

The office of Emfuleni ANC Chief Whip, Thulani Kunene, finally broke the silence regarding Kunene's possible arrest regarding fraud charges against him. This was at a media briefing held at the Emfuleni Municipality's offices on Monday. (Read more...)

Former EL broker guilty of fraud

A CROOKED East London broker who defrauded six clients, including pensioners, of large sums of money was on Monday sentenced to seven years in prison. Three years of his sentence were suspended .

Louis Olivier was the owner of Louis Olivier Financial Services, which traded as The Brokerage.

Olivier was found guilty on six counts of fraud after misappropriating clients’ cheques worth between R30000 and R177000, The total amount of his fraud was R687000. (Read more...)

Family accused of salting away R1m

A FORMER employee of the largest manufacturer of generic drugs and products in Africa is facing fraud charges amounting to about R1million after she allegedly stole money from the company over five years. (Read more...)

Langa axed before he could expose mismanagement of funds

FORMER Land Bank chairman Themba Langa was investigating an explosive dossier which was believed to have been highly embarrassing to Land Affairs minister Lulu Xingwana when he was axed last week. (Read more...)

Official lied about golf-shirt scandal

TOP municipal official Beza Ntshona admitted to having lied during a municipal internal investigation in an attempt to save face, the Port Elizabeth regional court heard yesterday. (Read more...)

Firms, garages hit by scams

Police have uncovered a scam by which truck drivers siphon fuel from their company vehicles and resell it.

Five people have been arrested for theft after a police operation. (Read more...)

Names due in R7,6bn looting

Randgold & Exploration (R&E), the entity most heavily looted by the late Brett Kebble and his network, is preparing information for shareholders that will include information on "actions being taken by it to recover shareholder funds from various third parties on the basis of ongoing forensic investigations". The announcement, released on Monday, was silent on further details, but people familiar with the situation say that R&E is due to release a fairly long list of entities and individuals with prima facie liabilities to R&E. (Read more...)

Land commissioner out of job

Polokwane - Limpopo's flamboyant regional land claims commissioner Mashile Mokono is out of a job.

Mokono's contract was not renewed when it expired at the end of June, following a high-level national review of fraud and corruption charges against him. (Read more...)

Ex-Sars boss up for tax evasion

The former head of internal audit at the South African Revenue Service (Sars) is expected to face tax evasion charges in the Johannesburg magistrate's court on Monday.

Edward Mmbulungeni Mushanganyisi, who was appointed the head of internal audit in September 2001, was suspended in July 2003 following allegations of misconduct, said Sars spokesperson Adrian Lackey. (Read more...)

Withdraw fraud report, judge told

Judge Ronnie Pillay - who compiled an explosive report detailing corruption in the Eastern Cape government - has until Tuesday to retract the allegations against three politicians and a technocrat or face a legal challenge. (Read more...)

Admit it, the Scorpions failed

The DSO has not done the job that was its reason for existence: it has underperformed, it has divided rather than united, and it has left organised criminals as powerful as they were in 1999, write George Fivaz and Gibson Njenje. (Read more...)

Manuel threatens media over arms trial

Finance minister Trevor Manuel has issued a stern threat of legal consequences for journalists who may want to report details of his court battle with arms deal activist Terry Crawford-Browne. (Read more...)

UK to tighten entry for Botswana over human trafficking fears

The British government has warned that Botswana citizens will need visas to visit the UK, unless the Botswana government “significantly reduces” the risk posed by Batswana.

Botswana is listed among 11 countries: Brazil, Namibia, South Africa, Malaysia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Lesotho, Mauritius, Swaziland, and Trinidad and Tobago that have been warned to address the risk they pose. (Read more...)

DA welcomes Land Bank move

The Democratic Alliance has welcomed a report that Finance Minister Trevor Manuel is to take over supervision of the business affairs of the troubled Land Bank. (Read more...)

Selebi, Scorpions in docket scramble

Embattled national police commisioner Jackie Selebi this week turned to Judge Phineas Mojapelo, the deputy judge president of the Witwatersrand, in a bid to force the Scorpions to surrender to him its docket on the corruption investigations against him. (Read more...)

Makgoba: The court tales don't add up

Prof Malegapuru Makgoba, vice-chancellor of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, will be re-called to the witness box of the UKZN inquiry in August after new evidence, which contradicted his earlier court testimony, according to state prosecutor Ashika Haripersadh.

Makgoba, Trevor White (PriceWaterhouseCoopers forensic investigator) and Sibusiso Luthuli (former chairperson of UKZN's Audit and Risk Committee and member of the Council) all had differing testimony on the same issue. (Read more...)

Cash-strapped citizens fake break-ins

Many South Africans are reporting false hijackings, housebreakings and other theft claims in order to get rid of their monthly repayments and be paid out by insurance companies. (Read more...)

Pillay report officials plan to take govt to court

The four officials implicated in alleged corruption in the Pillay report are planning to take government to court, amid calls by opposition parties for their axing. (Read more...)

No urgency in tabling Pillay commission: Speaker

Eastern Cape Legislature Speaker, Noxolo Kiviet says she sees no urgency in the calls by opposition parties to have the damning Pillay Commission report tabled in the legislature. (Read more...)

Can Judge Hlophe's case help Zuma?

A "brains trust" of legal and academic experts is helping the African National Congress devise a strategy to free its President Jacob Zuma from investigations relating to the controversial arms deal, the Mail&Guardian reported on Friday.

Judge Willem Heath, SA Institute of Race Relations President Sipho Seepe and the University of Cape Town's deputy registrar of legal services Paul Ngobeni were reportedly working towards "ultimately closing the book on the entire arms deal saga". (Read more...)

Army fraudsters get promoted

Pretoria - Two senior army officers, who were implicated in exam fraud leading to one of the men being found guilty of fraud, will now be promoted to general. (Read more...)

‘Zuma’s tax payment doesn’t clear him’

ANC president Jacob Zuma’s recent settlement with the South African Revenue Service (Sars) does not necessarily clear him "after years of delinquency", the National Prosecuting Authority said in papers today. (Read more...)

SA passports concern Britain

South Africans may soon have to apply for visas to visit Britain.

The British government on Thursday listed South Africa among 11 nations it is considering adding to the list of more than 100 countries whose citizens have to apply for visas. (Read more...)

Land Bank forensic report stalls

Cape Town - A forensic report into alleged misspending by the Land Bank - including the alleged misuse of the bank's funds for buying properties - is being held up because land affairs minister Lulu Xingwana is worried about legal repercussions. (Read more...)

Accounts rules shake-up for public sector

THE government is set to implement accounting standards designed to enhance delivery and combat corruption in the public sector.

Finance Minister Trevor Manuel recently approved the implementation date of 17 accrual-based public sector Generally Recognised Accounting Standards , which will be applied within the next year. (Read more...)

The President knew - EC Corruption

PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki sat on Judge Ronnie Pillay’s damning dossier of provincial government corruption for more than a year – and did nothing about it. Eastern Cape Premier Nosimo Balindlela made at least four public announcements in the last year that she had forwarded a copy of the Pillay Commission report to the president. (Read more...)

Early detection prevents fraud

The life-insurance industry prevented fraud worth R1.3- billion over the past five years, the Life Offices’ Association (LOA) said yesterday.

The association’s chief executive, Gerhard Joubert, said last year alone life companies detected 1512 fraudulent claims worth R279-million, and settled valid claims to the value of R90,7-billion — a 13 percent increase from the R80-billion paid out in 2006. (Read more...)

Call to sack ‘corrupt’ Stofile

JOHANNESBURG - A leaked commission report has nailed Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile for “corruption”.

Also named are his brother Mike, and several top ANC officials.

Now DA leader Helen Zille has demanded President Thabo Mbeki fire his Minister. (Read more...)

Kenya's Kibaki orders inquiry into hotel saga

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki appointed a commission of inquiry on Thursday to investigate the sale of a luxury hotel that has split the coalition cabinet and forced his finance minister to step aside. (Read more...)

Top ANC leaders ‘siphoned off R200m‘

AN explosive report into corruption in the Eastern Cape has named three top ANC leaders – including a cabinet minister – as the figures behind the systematic “siphoning” off of nearly R200-million in public money for dodgy deals which benefited them and their families. (Read more...)

'Corrupt' councillors

The wife and sister of a municipal councillor and four other accused were charged with fraud and money laundering in the Pietermaritzburg regional court yesterday . (Read more...)

Scorpions under attack from ANC

THE Scorpions have come under attack from both the office of the Premier and ANC caucus in the Bhisho legislature for not acting on a report presented to them by premier Nosimo Balindlela about fraud relating to the schools nutrition programme. (Read more...)

Sangoma in court on R500000 fraud, theft charge

WELL-KNOWN Uitenhage and Port Elizabeth sangoma Saum Ssempijja appeared on charges of fraud and theft amounting to R540000 at the commercial crimes court yesterday after he allegedly convinced a pensioner to give him his life savings in order to be “blessed” by his ancestors. (Read more...)

How Selebi affair rattled Mabandla

Minister Brigitte Mabandla allegedly told Scorpions investigators that arresting police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi would “shake the foundations of this country”.

Scorpions Gauteng head Gerrie Nel testified on Wednesday morning at the Ginwala commission inquiry about a meeting between the Selebi investigation team and Mabandla in June 2007. (Read more...)

Scorpions defend Pikoli's plea deals

The Scorpions boss leading the corruption prosecution against Jackie Selebi is under fierce attack by government lawyers.

State counsel Seth Nthai SC suggested on Tuesday that the Gauteng head of the Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions), Gerrie Nel, should face disciplinary action for concluding plea-bargain agreements with two of the state's main witnesses against Selebi: convicted drug dealers Glenn Agliotti and Clint Nassif.

Taking the stand to defend suspended prosecuting head Vusi Pikoli against claims that he was unfit to hold office, it took Nel less than 10 minutes to dismiss the government's argument that the plea deals were flawed and unlawful. (Read more...)

Three in court for fraud

Three people were arrested on Wednesday and appeared in the Pietermaritzburg magistrate's court on charges of money laundering. (Read more...)

Another suspected bogus lawyer investigated

The Jwaneng Town Council was all blushing faces this week after it emerged that the council’s legal advisor has forged his LLB certificates.

It is alleged that sometime around the 19th of last month, Emmanuel Pelekekae, the Jwaneng legal advisor hired in 2005, was arrested by the police following revelations that he had been employed by the Local Government on the back of fraudulent certificates. (Read more...)

Front runner in BR top post suspended

Botswana Railways front runner in the contest to fill the vacant Chief Executive Officer position, Hobona Tobedza, has been suspended from work indefinitely following allegations of conflict of interest.

Botswana Railways board convened recently to discuss the forensic report which has long been swept under the carpet and described as “classified information”. It was at that meeting where it was decided to suspend Tobedza who is also the parastatal’s financial director. (Read more...)

Two CMS suspects denied bail again

Gaborone Village Chief Magistrate Lot Moroka yesterday further remanded two suspects and set November 10, 12, 20, and 24 and December 2, 3 and 4 as trial dates for the case in which 10 people are accused of swindling Central Medical Stores (CMS) of P17 million. (Read more...)

Tati nickel top management pushed?

The recent resignation of the Tati Nickel General Manager, Piet Kotze, and the early retirement of Divisional Manager Mining, Thuso Dikgaka, has raised eyebrows in some quarters, with some saying that the duo were pushed out of their lucrative positions as the mining giant’s top brass.

The duo leaves at a time when there has been growing discontent among the employees amid allegations of rampant corruption and mismanagement at the Tati Nickel Mine. (Read more...)

New magistrate for Daisy Loo case

After hearing submissions from the defence and the prosecution, Village Chief Magistrate, Lot Moroka, has referred the fraud case in which Daisy Loo is accused of defrauding the Gaborone City Council (GCC) of over P21 million to the High Court. (Read more...)

Pikoli defends Selebi investigation

Suspended prosecutions boss Vusi Pikoli said he didn't intend turning the country into a "wasteland" due to a backlash caused by arresting National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi.

He told the Ginwala inquiry into his fitness to hold office on Monday that he believed one week was enough time for President Thabo Mbeki to deal with any security concerns and was never told after the initial meeting that Mbeki needed more time. (Read more...)

Lotteries Board at odds with employees

The National Lotteries Board and its chief executive officer, Vevek Ram, are embroiled in a battle with their employees and have come under heavy criticism from the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers for "ignorantly" employing a convicted fraudster in the finance department for five years. (Read more...)

R878m in fraud filings

The total value of fraud filings made to the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service recorded between June 2007 and July 2008 is R878 533 318. (Read more...)

Tender fraud: ‘I’m guilty’

AN EAST London businessman has admitted to defrauding the Eastern Cape government of hundreds of thousands of rands. Charles Kholeni, owner of Sahlangana Trainers and Agricultural Mentors, made the admission when he was confronted by this reporter on Friday. (Read more...)

Kenyan finance minister steps aside for hotel probe

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's finance minister stepped aside on Tuesday to allow an investigation into the sale of a luxury hotel that critics have called the latest example of high-level corruption in east Africa's largest economy. (Read more...)

Now arms company slams top judges

French arms group Thint has joined the battle between the Constitutional Court and Cape Judge President John Hlophe.

The company, which is charged alongside ANC president Jacob Zuma with corruption, has written to the Constitutional Court expressing “grave concerns” about the way in which the Hlophe matter has been handled. (Read more...)

Medical aid defrauders granted bail

Pharmacist Obed Khalidzwe and his female doctor friend, Josephina Rhavhengani, who have been charged for multimillion rand fraud, theft and racketeering have appeared before the Groblersdal Regional Court.

They were granted bail of R60 000 each. The two were arrested with four other suspects. The charges against the other four were withdrawn and they will be used as State witnesses. (Read more...)

Brown's court case postponed

The case of former Fidentia boss, J Arthur Brown has been postponed in the Cape Town Regional court until July 29. (Read more...)

Corrupt public servants nailed

The public service claims to be fighting corruption tooth and nail and charged 1 042 officials with financial mismanagement in the 2006/2007 financial year. (Read more...)

Missing R21m leads to EC official’s suspension

A SENIOR manager in the Eastern Cape Department of Social Development was suspended yesterday as authorities probe the disappearance of R21million of taxpayers’ money that was intended for poverty alleviation projects. (Read more...)

CAA to probe pilots' after fraud claims

South Africa's aviation watchdog has called in an external forensic team to investigate allegations of fraud and procedural irregularities in its examination department. (Read more...)

KZN dept in funeral scandal

Durban - More than R87 000 of the unaccounted for millions in the KZN Agriculture Department was spent on the memorial and funeral services for the son of Professor Gabriel Ndabandaba, the department's former MEC, who is now the deputy speaker in the KZN Legislature. (Read more...)

Grant fraud exposed

A scandal has been uncovered at a KwaZulu-Natal hospital in which hospital staff changed the records and blood samples of at least 20 patients to allow them to fraudulently receive a social grant on the basis of being HIV positive. (Read more...)

Into Selebi’s underworld

During the past week, I was exposed to another side of death.

This is a place with no comfort and little hope. It is a cesspit where lowlifes like Glen Agliotti and Clint Nassif hold court, dispensing execution orders as part of their normal day's "work" - acting for any client willing to pay for murder. (Read more...)

Phishing trip nets R700k

During just two days criminals managed not only to hack into a Durban man's business cheque account and pay out more than R700 000 to over 200 fraudulent recipients, but also to transfer funds from his Access Bond account to his cheque account once that overdraft limit had been exceeded. (Read more...)

Selebi's attack on Scorpions begins

The government has launched a heated attack on the Scorpions' case against National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi.

Lead state counsel Seth Nthai SC on Friday strongly suggested the unit's plea-bargain deals with alleged Brett Kebble murderer Glenn Agliotti and convicted drug dealer Clint Nassif - which are crucial to the Scorpions' corruption case against Selebi - were a "violation of policy". (Read more...)

Hotline sees sharp rise in white-collar crime

White-collar crimes have increased dramatically over the last year as South Africans resort to desperate measures to get through the current economic hard times, according to one crime hotline. (Read more...)

KZN police pounce on loan sharks

Police, accompanied by the KwaZulu-Natal social welfare MEC, on Thursday broke up an elaborate loan shark scam that took advantage of vulnerable pensioners, raking in millions of rands. (Read more...)

Hacker with a conscience

For more than two years, Alistair Peterson headed an elaborate online bank-hacking syndicate.

He was the thorn in the side of South Africa's four giant banks whose top cyber experts were left red-faced every time he hacked through several security features and accessed their "secure" banking accounts. (Read more...)

Magistrate in Daisy Loo case elevated to acting judge

Gaborone Chief Magistrate Lot Moroka will on 9 July reassign to another magistrate a case in which the Managing Director of Daisy Loo, Modiri Dijeng, and some present and former Gaborone City Council employees are facing fraud charges relating to the awarding of tenders to Daisy Loo. (Read more...)

10 arrested for financial scam

Kinshasa - More than 10 people suspected of involvement in a huge financial scam in the DRC have been arrested since the end of June, police sources said on Thursday. (Read more...)

Doctor, pharmacist held on fraud, theft charges

Johannesburg - A pharmacist and a doctor were arrested yesterday and the asset forfeiture unit had served them with a restraint on their estates to the value of R4.5 million, said the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). (Read more...)

Scorpions sting e-criminals

By working with the South African banking sector, the Department of Special Operations (DSO) – commonly known as the Scorpions – says it has managed to prevent R100 million in cybercrime from taking place. (Read more...)

Police swoop on 3 more EC officials

POLICE arrested three more government officials last night for alleged fraud and corruption in raids in East London, Bhisho and King William’s Town. (Read more...)

Experienced Mzinyathi to lead the Scorpions

A new boss has been appointed to the Directorate of Special Operations - the Scorpions - to manage what appears to be the inevitable demise of South Africa's premier organised-crime-fighting unit. (Read more...)

Meeg’s Molefe takes on Absa

THE founder of Meeg Bank, Eric Molefe, said yesterday he would go ahead with a threat to lay criminal charges against Absa and certain shareholders of Meeg, writes Renée Bonorchis. (Read more...)

Wildeman, Seitisho trial for fraud in November

FORMER Bitou mayor Euan Wildeman and former municipal manager George Seitisho will go to trial on fraud charges on November 21.

The pair, both wearing smart suits, appeared in the Knysna regional court yesterday where they were to have entered a plea.

However, the case was set down for trial without the accused pleading. Wildeman and Seitisho will enter a plea on November 21 and their trial will start immediately after. (Read more...)

Kebble trust targets ex-Island prisoner

Former Rivonia trialist and Robben Islander Andrew Mlangeni has become the latest target of the trustees of the insolvent estate of former mining magnate Brett Kebble, who was killed in 2005.

The MP, who spent 26 years on Robben Island with former president Nelson Mandela, allegedly received R360 000 from Kebble between October 15, 2003, and September 4, 2004 . (Read more...)

Mauritian court rejects Zuma application

An Application by ANC president Jacob Zuma to be a party to litigation about documents that could be used as evidence against him by the National Prosecuting Authority has been rejected by the Mauritian Supreme Court. (Read more...)

Pro-Selebi spy chief slated

South Africa's most powerful spy boss has been accused of waging a vendetta against the Scorpions to protect National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi from facing corruption charges.

But National Intelligence Agency (NIA) director-general Manala Manzini on Monday refused to explain how or why he obtained an affidavit from the Scorpions' star witness against Selebi, druglord Glenn Agliotti, in which he cleared the police chief of any wrongdoing. (Read more...)

More fraud charges for IT expert

A Kempton Park travel agent, who stands accused of 91 counts of fraud, will have other pending cases against him joined to the charges he already faces.

Sipho Sithembiso Msomi, 36, will go on trial in the Pietermaritzburg regional court on July 18.

He appeared in court for the adjournment, dressed smartly in a black suit, pale green shirt and black tie.

The fraud allegedly involved more than R20-million and pertained to the use of spy software on computers in several government departments. (Read more...)