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...
Windhoek, Namibia, 19 August 2024 – The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSAF), serving as the Secretariat for the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of Southern Africa
(ARINSA), and in partnership with the Namibian Judiciary and Financial Intelligence Centrer officially launched the Judicial Training on Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Asset Recovery on August 19, 2024. This four-day workshop aims to
enhance the capabilities of High Court Judges and Magistrates in Namibia to effectively address the complexities of AML and asset recovery within the judicial system. Read more...
By and Timo Shihepo and Timo Shihepo |The Namibian| 19 August 2024
A total of N$18,8 million stolen from SME Bank was transferred to and laundered by former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe’s pilot and confidant Robert Mhlanga.
This is according to court documents filed in South Africa’s Gauteng High Court by SME Bank’s liquidators Ian McLaren and David Bruni.
The liquidators said approximately N$20,8 million was transferred from SME Bank into the trust account of a Johannesburg law firm called Paul Casasola & Associates between 2014 and 2015.
The law firm is owned by Mhlanga’s then lawyer Paul Casasola, who kept N$2 million of the stolen funds. Read more...
The Mozambican Attorney-General’s Office (PGR) has recovered assets valued at about 400 million US dollars from those found guilty in the “hidden debts” trial that took place in Maputo in 2021-2022.
19 suspects were tried in the case that revolved around the illicit
loans for over two billion US dollars obtained from the banks Credit
Suisse and VTB of Russia by three fraudulent, security-related
companies, Proindicus, Ematum (Mozambique Tuna Company) and MAM
(Mozambique Asset Management). Read More...
THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has recovered more than 350 vehicles that were illegally imported through the abuse of the civil servants’ vehicle rebate scheme that allows established civil servants to import vehicles duty-free.
Yesterday, the steering committee of the National
Anti-Corruption Strategy met to review progress of the past four years
by its sub-committees. Read More...
South Africa’s Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) has slammed legal practitioners, estate agents, trust service providers, company service providers, and various other sectors for keeping the country on the grey list.
These sectors have yet to complete risk and compliance return (RCR) submissions as instructed by the FIC, which were due on 31 May 2023. The FIC warned that these sectors are at risk of administrative sanctions.
“Certain designated non-financial businesses and professions are continuing to ignore Financial Intelligence Centre directives aimed at helping South Africa exit the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force,” the FIC says. Read More...
According to figures from the Central Office for Combating Corruption (GCCC), the Mozambican state suffered losses of around 405 million meticais (€5.8 million) due to corruption offences in the first half of this year.
The figure is an increase on the same period in 2023, when losses totalling 183.3 million meticais (€2.6 million) were recorded, according to the GCCC, an agency of the Mozambican Public Prosecutor’s Office.
In the first six months of this year, the Mozambican authorities seized assets valued at €589,000 resulting from acts of corruption. Read More...
By
Bame Piet | 9 July 2024, The Voice BW
When addressing participants at a two-day colloquium for officers of
the Administration of Justice on Monday, the Chief Justice highlighted
the findings of the 2017 Mutual Evaluation Report, which revealed that
the courts have concluded a few cases of money laundering, with only
four convictions. Read More...
By NOKUNCEDA MAGAGULA | June 18 2024, Eswatini Obsever
The national budget is anticipated to receive a significant boost as assets forfeited by the state from money laundering activities will be injected into the national budget. Read More...
By Staff Reporter | June 10 2024, UNODC Website
From June 10-13, 2024,
the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in collaboration with the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa and the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of Southern Africa (ARINSA), organized two important workshops in Windhoek,
Namibia. These workshops aimed to enhance Namibia’s ability to recover proceeds of crime and improve the skills of 27 legal practitioners and 20 investigators. Read More...
A Free State businessman has been sentenced in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on money laundering charges. Read More...
By Staff Writer 13 June 2024 | UNODC Website
In an effort to strengthen The Seychelles' ability to combat money laundering and terrorism financing, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa as the joint secretariat of the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of Southern Africa (ARINSA) organized two workshops: one for prosecutors and another for investigators. The workshops, which took place from 3-6 June 2024, aimed to build the capacity of investigators and prosecutors in applying effective asset confiscation methodologies and practices.
By Staff Reporter | 3 June 2024 Sunday World
The long arm of the law has finally caught up with two more suspects implicated in the R2.8-billion BHI Ponzi scheme.
The recent arrests of 54-year-old Sona Pillay and Michael Philip Adam, 55, come after the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation put Graig Roy Warriner behind bars.
The 60-year-old Warriner was convicted and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment on 206 counts of fraud and one of contravening the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act for operating an investment scheme without a licence or being registered as a financial service provider. Read more...
By John Mutua | 20 May 2024 Business Daily
The Financial Reporting Centre (FRC) has flagged foreign ownership of some local banks in Kenya as presenting terrorism financing risks in the latest assessment of the country’s exposure and preparedness to fight dirty cash. Read more...