R6m was from crime proceeds

THE State claims that city lawyer Anthony Broadway ought to have known that the R6 million paid by Chinese company Wah Hing for the purchase of a farm was the proceeds of unlawful activities.

This is part of the indictment in which the accused faces three counts of racketeering, 51 counts of money laundering, two counts of defeating the ends of justice, operating a fishing establishment and possession and storing of abalone without a permit.

Broadway, defending himself, pleaded not guilty to all the charges before Judge Siraj Desai in the Western Cape High Court yesterday.

The prosecution, led by Quinton Appels, submitted: “The accused on May 6, 2010, in Bellville ought to have known that the R4 495 350 received into a trust account and paid by a China company called Wah Hing in connection with the purchase of a farm in Saron was the proceeds of unlawful activities.”

The State further submitted that the additional amount of R1 101 667 received from the same Chinese company into his trust account was also the proceeds of unlawful activities.

The charges against Broadway emanate from an earlier plea agreement Michael Norman, David Bannister and others had entered with the State in an abalone case involving R2 billion.

The group of 13 were convicted of abalone poaching, racketeering and money laundering, and faced 425 charges.

It was alleged that Broadway, Norman and Bannister operated the enterprise, involving the illegal poaching, processing and selling of abalone.

In his plea explanation, Broadway claimed after he uncovered fraud and corruption by senior NPA and Hawks officials, he had been prosecuted to suppress his allegations.