Fraudsters paid state back R2bn last year

CRIMINALS paid back more than R2-billion of their ill-gotten gains to the state in the last year, as the Assets Forfeiture Unit (AFU) recorded its most successful year on record.

It was a bumper year for the crime-fighting unit, which obtained freezing orders worth R2.8-billion in 2014-15, with its biggest haul involving corrupt contracts issued by the Gauteng Department of Health worth R1.8-billion.

It successfully forfeited and froze orders for about R4.2-million against a company awarded a rigged tender to transport mourners to the Nelson Mandela commemoration events in the Eastern Cape. A number of Buffalo City officials, including then mayor Zukisa Ncitha, were implicated.

The AFU froze and forfeited R59million in various personal bank accounts of people who defrauded the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) in East London.

It also managed to recover some of the R4.8-million already been dissipated for “personal purposes”.

With help from the Treasury, more than R61-million unlawfully moved from the SHRA was recovered.

A list of major forfeitures are listed in the National Prosecuting Authority’s latest annual report recently tabled in parliament.

“The AFU achieved its best performance yet, obtaining freezing orders to the value of R2.8-billion, significantly exceeding the annual target of R755-million by 265% and last year’s performance by 293%,” the NPA report said.

According to legislation, the seized money goes into the central revenue fund.

AFU head Willie Hofmeyr said his unit’s success could be attributed to working closely with other crime fighting institutions such as the Hawks, SAPS and Special Investigating Unit.

“We’ve had a few good years in the past, but this was probably our best,” Hofmeyr said. He said the AFU had focused its limited resources on “high value” and complex cases.