Lawyer implicated in illegal abalone syndicate

set up to buy a farm in Tulbagh, which was to be used as an abalone processing facility.

The details of the purchase of the farm were contained in an affidavit by senior financial investigator Johannes Joubert.

It revealed that Siem Basson first got to know Broadway in 2007 when he sought legal advice for charges brought against him.

In 2010, Broadway told him about clients who were involved in the abalone industry and interested in buying a farm.

The clients were, however, unwilling to register the farm in their own name because there was a risk they would be caught.

“He was not directly informed illegal activities would be occurring on the farm, but this could indirectly be assumed,” Joubert said.

Broadway told Basson the farm would be registered in the name of close corpora- tion Agenda Search Trade and that, if Basson was willing, he would be the sole member of the CC. The funds would come from China, and had already been cleared by the Reserve Bank.

Basson agreed, and received R50 000.

Joubert said Basson visited the farm only twice, along with Broadway, and was not aware of the existence of an Absa bank account in the CC’s name.

In May 2013, when a police officer asked questions about the farm, Broadway advised Basson to say he would provide an affidavit from his attorney. However, when he eventu- ally received the affidavit, he noticed it contained lies and refused to sign it. Instead, he offered to co-operate with the police and AFU.

Joubert said Basson and the farm were linked to “a number of individuals” involved in the illegal harvesting of abalone.

Broadway has been charged along with alleged Gansbaai poaching kingpin Frank Barends and several co-accused for abalone-related activities.

fatima.schroeder@inl.co.za