The former chief executive of the Transport Education and Training Authority (TETA), Pieter Hendrick Bothma, was this week sentenced to an effective seven years in prison for fraud, corruption, and money laundering related to the Fidentia scandal.
Charges against the 64-year-old stem from the investment of more than
R200 million of TETA’s funds with Fidentia Asset Management (Pty) Ltd
(FAM) between 2003 and 2005. On request, only R15m was returned to TETA
in September 2003, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said in a
statement on Monday. Read more...
Mbabane, Eswatini – Today, senior prosecutors from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions convened to assess and enhance the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on money laundering. The review comes as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Eswatini’s legal framework and ensure more effective prosecutions in financial crime cases.
The discussion, facilitated with guidance from the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), focused on fostering investigative
mindsets, identifying critical points to prove in money laundering
cases, and addressing both self-money laundering and third-party money
laundering offenses. These updates are expected to tighten the
prosecutorial approach, ensuring that cases are built on a robust
understanding of key evidence requirements. Read more...
By National Prosecution Authority of Zambia | 27 September 2024
In furtherance of Zambia’s asset recovery efforts, the Economic and Financial Crimes Court has ordered the forfeiture of 15 luxury flats valued at ZMW 66 million belonging to former First Lady, Esther Nyawa Lungu, declaring them proceeds of crime. The judgment marks a key moment in the country’s ongoing fight against financial misconduct.
Delivered
today, the court ruled that the former first lady failed to provide
sufficient evidence proving that the properties were acquired through
legitimate means. Her assertion that her husband, former President Edgar
Lungu, had financed the construction of the flats was dismissed due to
the absence of supporting documentation. Read more...
Lebanese shipping group Privinvest on Wednesday asked to be allowed to appeal against the decision of the London Commercial Court that obliges the shipping group to pay around US$2 billion (€1.8 billion) in compensation to the Mozambican state.
At a hearing being held in the Commercial Division of the High Court in London, Privinvest’s lawyer, Duncan Matthews, asked for the execution of the payment to be suspended so that an appeal could be heard.
The lawyer invoked, among other reasons, Mozambique’s failure to disclose important official documents, so that “a fair trial was not possible”.
Privinvest also said that it does not have enough funds to pay the
stipulated amount and warned that if this suspension is not accepted, it
will have to go into insolvency. Read more...
The assistant attorney general and head of the specialized criminal department within the Mozambican Attorney General’s Office (PGR), Amabélia Chuquela, has called for multisector cooperation in fighting against money laundering, drug trafficking and the kidnappings that have been plaguing the country’s major cities.
According to Chuquela, who was speaking to reporters on Saturday, in Maputo, during activities marking the 35th anniversary of the foundation of the PGR, the investigation of specific crimes faced nowadays by the country demands multisector cooperation. Read more...
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has handed over to the government recovered assets valued at Sh5 billion that were corruptly acquired.
EACC chief executive officer Twalib Mbarak handed over
35 title deeds measuring approximately 18.71 acres at a ceremony held at
State House Nairobi on Wednesday. Read More...
In a significant development in Zambia’s battle against financial crime, the State has successfully secured the forfeiture of ZMW 58 million in Gold, $200,000 in cash and a Toyota Prado from two Chinese nationals convicted of conveying property suspected to have been stolen. This significant action highlights the power of forfeiture in dismantling the financial networks that sustain criminal activities. Read More...
The Inspectorate of Government has revealed that it recovered UGX 14B from the orders issued for recovery in Financial Year 2023/2024.
The IG noted that a cash payment of UGX 6B was deposited into the IG asset recovery account and property worth UGX 8.7B was handed over to the institution in lieu of cash.
In the same financial year (2023/2024,) the IG received 2377 complaints concerning corruption, Ombudsman and Leadership Code of Conduct.
Of the 2377 complaints, 1260 were registered from the Head Office while 1117 were registered across the 16 IG Regional Offices. Read More...
By Oliver Meth |Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting project |29 August 2024
Simelane is accused of receiving a 575,600 South African rand (US$32,258) loan in 2016 from Gundo Wealth Solutions—a company involved in brokering unlawful investments into the now-defunct VBS Mutual Bank—while serving as mayor of Polokwane Municipality in Limpopo province from 2014 to 2021. She allegedly used the loan to buy a coffee shop in Sandton, South Africa’s upmarket economic hub. Gundo Wealth Solutions, owned by Ralliom Razwinane, is directly connected to the illegal investments of municipal funds into VBS Mutual Bank, for which Razwinane is currently on trial for fraud, corruption, and money laundering as a commission agent linking municipalities, including Polokwane, to the now-defunct bank. Read More...