National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) seized assets worth more R165 million from former KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni and her co-accused on Monday. Other people who have had their assets seized include prominent Durban businessman Thoshan Pandaya and his ex-wife Privisha Panday. The NPA's Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) and the Investigating Directorate (ID) have been granted a provisional restraint order of R165 million against Thoshan Panday and his ex-wife Privisha Panday. The execution of the court order by the curator appointed by the High Court took place on Monday, around Durban.
PROCEEDS OF CRIME
NPA spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka says the alleged criminal syndicate is accused of acting in common purpose to deprive SAPS of an amount of over R47,3 million through acts of fraud, corruption, forgery, bribery, and money laundering before and during the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. "The State alleges that the three former police officers manipulated the process to allow them to procure accommodation for SAPS members on an urgent basis and at inflated rates only days before the World Cup was due to start,' Seboka says. Panday's company, Goldcoast Trading CC, was allegedly awarded the orders for accommodation for police members deployed in the province during times of unrest from October 2009 at inflated rates.
CRIMINAL SYNDICATE
According to the NPA, Panday together with members of his family, allegedly arranged a series of cover quotes while working with former police officers Narainpershad and Madhoe who worked in the KZN police commissionaire supply chain management services office. The Pandays were awarded 166 contracts related to the 2010 World Cup. Ngobeni is facing a charge of defeating the ends of justice as she allegedly ordered investigators to stop their investigation into the tender fraud. Last year, the state capture inquiry heard how Panday allegedly captured top police officials before the World Cup. Panday is the sole member of Goldcoast Trading CC. Goldcoast was awarded 80% of the accommodation order for the 2010 world Cup and charged SAPS rates which were much higher than other service providers. Sekoba added that Panday misrepresented that Goldcoast had secured block bookings in 2008 for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, which was false. Panday then had to place police members in venues, paid them a low rate and claimed inflated rates from SAPS. "The state alleges that the three former SAPS officials failed to follow the prescripts of the Public Finance Management Act, amongst others, deliberately delaying applications for procurement authority from the National Office for accommodation for the 2010 Soccer World Cup and deliberately not following up on invitations they had sent to existing service providers,' Seboka adds.
?CAPTURING PUBLIC ORDER POLICING UNIT
In the application to the court, the NPA alleged that Panday was the mastermind of the criminal enterprise. "By the end of 2009, Panday managed to get control of Public Order Policing Unit accommodation contracts with the help of Madhoe and Narainpershad in KZN. The curator has also frozen the bank accounts of all the parties on Monday. All the suspects are currently out on R5 000 and R10 000 bail respectively and their criminal case will be back in court on 25 August 2023.
