Informant
tells how cops fooled colleagues - 29 October
A police informant told the High Court in Johannesburg how West
Rand senior officers hoodwinked their colleagues into thinking
they were conducting legitimate drug raids when they were in
fact smuggling drugs. Informer Norman Kokoeng was testifying on
Thursday in a drug dealing, racketeering and fraud case against
Senior Superintendent Dumisani Jwara, Captain Landro Mokgosani
and Captain Victor Jwili. The fourth accused in the matter,
Captain Sakhepi Caiphus Shange, died in police custody in July
this year. - IOL website
Tannenbaum
Case (Ponzi Scheme)
Ponzi-scheme
suspect Tannenbaum faces arrest - 27 October
Arrest warrants for the masterminds of a Ponzi scheme that led
to wealthy South Africans being swindled out of billions of
rands have been issued by the police, Finance Minister Pravin
Gordhan announced in Parliament on Tuesday. Speaking during his
medium-term budget speech, Gordhan deviated from his prepared
statement to announce that the pair of lawyer Dean Rees and
businessman Barry Tannenbaum would be arrested soon. - Mail
& Guardian website
Ponzi
masterminds to be arrested - 27 October
Warrants for the arrest of Barry Tannenbaum and Dean Rees,
alleged to have been behind a multi-billion rand pyramid
scheme, have been issued, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said
in his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement in parliament.
Gordhan said one individual was thought to have benefited by
up to R800m on which "he was not probably paying any
tax". The scheme crossed some eight jurisdictions, said
Gordhan who was formerly head of the South African Revenue
Service (Sars). - Fin24
website
Ponzi
haul was R12bn - 27 October
Police issued arrest warrants for fraud suspects Barry
Tannenbaum and his lawyer Dean Rees - who, it has emerged,
have allegedly scammed people in eight countries of more than
R12-billion. Gordhan revealed yesterday that "the scheme
involved at least eight foreign jurisdictions in which this
washing of money took place". - Times
Live website
See
also : Legal
Profession. Pitfalls
of cross-border investigations
Ponzi
scheme lawyer's property sequestrated - 29 October
The South Gauteng High Court has heard how three former
policemen from the West Rand Organised Crime Unit allegedly
became involved in drugs dealing. The three are facing charges
of racketeering, drugs dealing, fraud, theft and defeating the
ends of justice. A former police informer who is testifying
for the state said in one instance he was paid in drugs
after a raid on an alleged Nigerian drug dealer’s house in
Pretoria
. - Eye Witness News
website
Barwa
succeeds against ponzi master mind - 28 October
Qatar based Barwa Real Estate Company QSC was successful today
in its bid to sequestrate the estate of alleged Ponzi mastermind
Dean Rees in the South Gauteng High Court. In its founding
affidavit Barwa alleges that Rees fraudulently, and as part of
the alleged Ponzi scheme, misappropriated a sum of at least US$
12,7 Million and together with Tannenbaum is liable for a sum in
excess of US$ 30 Million which Barwa had made available for
purposes of financing the purchase of active pharmaceutical
ingredients. The sequestration application was launched on
behalf of Barwa by its attorneys, Dewey & LeBoeuf and was
heard by Judge Mohamed Jajbhay on Tuesday 27 October 2009
following a freeze order which was obtained by Barwa against the
assets of Dean Rees on 1 September 2009. - Moneyweb
website
Extradition
a 'complicated legal matter' - 29 October
Having Barry Tannenbaum - the expatriate South African
businessman investors accuse of defrauding them of billions of
rands - and his lawyer, Dean Rees, extradited back to SA is
not "clear cut", say legal analysts. "It is a
complicated legal matter and the South African authorities
will have to work closely with law enforcement authorities
overseas", says Werksmans director Paul Winer. He
represents some of the victims of the alleged Ponzi scheme
Tannenbaum is said to have run. - Business
Day website
Barry
Tannenbaum, from here to eternity - 30 October
The long, slow, arduous process of dragging alleged fraudster
Barry Tannenbaum and his former lawyer Dean Reese back to
South Africa to face charges has begun. But judging by a host
of other cases involving extradition from Australia,
Tannenbaum can rest easy in his mansion in the leafy Sydney
suburb of St Ives. The history of extradition attempts
suggests it's an arduous expensive process in which the
extraditee has numerous opportunities to run circles around
the legal system and engage in a frightening procession of
appeals, making the process effectively redundant. - The
Daily Maverick website
Selebi
Case
Jackie
Selebi's big gamble - 23 October
This week former top cop Jackie Selebi gave the clearest
indication yet that he, too, would rely on the questionable
assistance of the country's spy agencies to get off the hook on
serious corruption charges. The question is whether South
Africa's spy agencies have become role-players in determining
the outcome of high-profile criminal trials. - Mail
& Guardian website
Judge
is not neutral, says Selebi - 27 October
Jackie Selebi has spelt out his reasons for wanting the judge in
his corruption trial to recuse himself - claiming he believes he
would not get a fair trial should Judge Meyer Joffe stay. His
defence team yesterday filed an application - over 70 pages long
- at the Johannesburg High Court and made a copy available to
the prosecution team, led by Gerrie Nel. - IOL
website
NPA
to oppose Selebi's judge application - 27 October
The National Prosecuting Authority says it will oppose former
police commissioner Jackie Selebi’s application for the judge
in his corruption trial to withdraw. - Eye
Witness News website
Selebi
argues for judge to step down - 29 October
Former top cop Jackie Selebi's defence has begun to argue for
Judge Meyer Joffe, who is the presiding judge in Selebi's
corruption trial, to recuse himself. The urgent application,
which was brought after a postponement last week, is based on a
perception of bias shown by Joffe, according to the defence. - Times
Live website
See
also : Selebi's
application for recusal
Judge
Joffe fights back - 29 October
Judge Meyer Joffe on Thursday angrily challenged several aspects
of the defence's argument to have him recused from the
corruption trial of former top cop Jackie Selebi. Visibly
infuriated at times, Joffe fired a rapid line of questions at
defence lawyer Jaap Cilliers about arguments made that the judge
showed pro-State bias. - The
Star website
Selebi
trial : crazy clash of the jurists - 30 October
If Judge Meyer Joffe does eventually decide to recuse himself
from the bench in the corruption trial of former top cop Jackie
Selebi, it won’t be because he declined to put up a fight.
Court 4B of the South Gauteng High Court was a veritable boxing
ring on Thursday morning, with Joffe and defence counsel Jaap
Cilliers trading legal jabs like heavyweights at a title bout. -
The Daily Maverick
website
Selebi
trial : Judge Joffe 'too tired' - 29 October
A morning of exhausting legal wrangling in Jackie Selebi's trial
ended when, five minutes before the lunch break, Judge Meyer
Joffe said he was too tired to go on. "Mr (Gerrie) Nel, I
can't listen to you. I have been going since 9.15am this
morning. It's been very difficult to listen to this . . . it
hasn't been easy". Selebi's defence advocate, Jaap Cilliers
SC, spent the morning session arguing for Judge Joffe to recuse
himself from the high profile corruption trial of the former
national police commissioner. - IOL
website
Judge
Joffe refuses to step down - 30 October
Judge Meyer Joffe has refused to step down from Jackie Selebi's
corruption trial. And he has painstakingly rebuffed each of
Selebi's 16 complaints of bias against him as
"ill-founded", "baseless" and "most
unfortunate". In a decision that lasted over an hour, Judge
Joffe also refused to withdraw his concerns about the alleged
leaking of video footage of star witness Glenn Agliotti to a
weekend newspaper. - IOL
website