‘I’ve been caught in the middle’

TWO weeks ago, Mark Shelley, the external auditor of the imploding First Tech conglomerate, was shot at outside the company’s head office in downtown Johannesburg.

The shooters got away, and Shelley escaped unhurt, but few believe the incident was unrelated to First Tech.

While businessman Jeff Wiggill and CEO Andy Bertulis are the two most often named as being responsible for First Tech’s alleged crooked financials, Shelley’s role as auditor has come under the spotlight. He was so close to Bertulis and Wiggill that they were described as the “Three Musketeers”.

Before First Tech went under, Shelley who was employed by Indigo Financial Accountants and worked at First Tech’s head office, allegedly began selling his own assets.

This seems to back up the notion that he knew the company was in trouble and might lose everything he owned.

Leon Kapp, CEO of two First Tech subsidiaries, said he believed that the shooting at Shelley was a “clear warning” from irate former employees that “he wouldn’t get away with” what he had done.

However, Shelley said he believed the shooting was not related to First Tech’s problems. He also said he was not involved in any fraud. “I’ve been caught in the middle. I’m an external party,” he said.

However, a former CEO of one of First Tech’s subsidiaries, said he believed “the number of people and the amounts of ... money involved are so enormous that it’s entirely possible people will get hurt”.

Bertulis has refused to talk to the media. The inevitable litigation to establish what happened and how much is left probably won’t begin for several months, but it is expected to be prolonged and aggressive. — Tina Weavind