Moosagie’s secret wedding
Jenkins ‘madly in love’ with con artist who left her to face court case alone
PORT Elizabeth’s missing millionaire and convict Amier Moosagie married his co-accused Desiree Jenkins in secret eight years ago, the Port Elizabeth High Court heard yesterday.
Moosagie and Jenkins were married under Muslim laws by an Imam. At the time, he was already married to two other women.
Moosagie has disappeared and is believed to be on the run after being convicted in the Port Elizabeth High Court of tax fraud, forgery, corruption, money laundering and racketeering totalling R3-million.
For years he lived a life of luxury – overseas trips, a beautiful glass mansion, top-of-the-range luxury cars and designer clothes.
But the bubble has burst for the powerful Moosagie family of Malabar.
Yesterday Jenkins, 55, bowed her head and listened intently to court proceedings. She has been convicted on the same charges levelled against Moosagie.
A report compiled by a clinical psychologist who testified in mitigation of sentence described Jenkins as being “madly in love” with Moosagie.
However, the couple kept their marriage a secret from everyone, including Jenkins’s closest friend. Psychologist Dr Sarel Steyn said he found Jenkins had been emotionally scarred by her strict parents.
She was unhappy after traumatic pregnancies and two divorces, he said.
“[She was] left alone by the con artist [Moosagie] to deal with the shame, emotional and financial damage caused by the subsequent legal consequences.”
Jenkins seemed to be a victim of emotional abuse and trauma and of her own sense of naivety, Steyn said.
It was unlikely she would have committed the crimes without Moosagie’s influence as she lacked the business sophistication and know-how needed.
But state Advocate Theuns de Jager put it to Steyn that Jenkins did have certain business skills.
She was involved in several of her ex-husband’s businesses, including a second-hand furniture shop, a butchery and buying items for resale at auctions.
De Jager said if Jenkins was a victim of Moosagie’s influence, he found it strange that she had acted in collusion with him by bringing forward an application to have the presiding judge in the matter, Judge Dayalin Chetty, removed earlier this year.
But Steyn said this could also be attributed to Moosagie’s influence.
Defence counsel Advocate Daryn Arends said Jenkins had participated in the crimes because Moosagie had played on her vulnerabilities.
She was remorseful and was willing to pay back the portion of money she was liable for, he said. She is liable for R 1.32-million, according to the verdict. De Jager said because these were “calculated instances of fraud” the sentence should serve to deter others.
Sentence is due to be passed next Thursday.