The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has snatched assets worth more than R165-million from a businessman, his family and three former SA Police Service (SAPS) officials including a provincial commissioner.
The big fish in the group is Thoshan Panday, a tycoon from Durban who is the sole owner of Goldcoast Trading, which was awarded orders for accommodation for police officials deployed to KwaZulu-Natal during times of unrest from October 2009, at inflated rates.
According to the NPA, the suspects are accused of being a part of an alleged criminal syndicate that defrauded the SAPS of more than R47.3-million through corruption, forgery, bribery, and money-laundering.
The crimes are believed to have taken place before and during the Fifa World Cup organised and hosted by South Africa in 2010.
Sindisiwe Seboka, NPA investigating directorate spokesperson, said other defendants whose assets have been restrained are Colonel Navin Madhoe, former section head of acquisition in supply chain management (SCM) at the office of the provincial commissioner, Captain Ashwin Narainpershad, formerly of SCM KZN, Panday’s family members Arvenda Panday (mother), Privisha Panday (ex-wife), Seevesh Maharaj Ishwarkumar (brother-in-law), Kajal Ishwarkumar (sister), and Tasleem Rahiman, his professional assistant.
Their accounts have since been frozen, said Seboka.
“The court granted the NPA the order in chambers on March 29 2023. The curator was then issued with letters of curatorship by the Master of the High Court on April 11 2023 and the execution took place on Monday,” Seboka said.
“The restraint order is directly linked to the criminal case first enrolled by the investigating directorate, S v Madhoe and eight others in the Durban magistrate’s court in October 2021, which has been transferred to the Durban High Court.
“The restraint order has been granted in terms of chapter 5 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act 121 of 1998 against property/assets of the nine people charged and persons or entities they gave gifts to.”
Seboka added that the execution of the court order by the curator appointed by the high court and took place in and around Durban.
“The order of over R165-million is the amount of the proceeds of unlawful activities received by the enterprise, and the individual parties in furtherance of the conspiracy and/or common purpose and/or the commissioning of the crimes.
“The state alleges that the three former SAPS officials failed to follow the prescripts of the Public Finance Management Act, by amongst others, deliberately delaying applications for procurement authority from the national office for accommodation for the 2010 SWC [soccer World Cup] and deliberately not following up on invitations they had sent to existing service providers [who charged reasonable rates], thereby causing the need to procure accommodation for SAPS members for the 2010 World Cup on an urgent basis and at inflated rates.”
In addition, Goldcoast and four other entities received orders approved by Madhoe and Narainpershad for miscellaneous goods required by SAPS members for the 2010 Soccer World Cup through fraud including cover quoting and forgery.
“Five entities alleged to have been controlled by and associated with Panday were paid the over R47.3-million by South African Police Service between October 2009 and August 2010.
“Goldcoast received R39 336 283, Valotone R3 515 704, Bravosat R2 079 469, Kaseev Traders R1 552 019 and Unite Mzansi R863 122.”
In the application to court, the NPA alleged that Panday was the mastermind of the criminal enterprise with the help of Madhoe and Narainpershad in KwaZulu-Natal supply chain management.
The return date of the provisional order is May 29 while the criminal case linked to the restraint returns to court on August 25.
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