PAUL KIRK, Durban | Friday
The largest private detective agency in South Africa – so large that it threatens to eclipse the government’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies – is being investigated for fraud.
More than two weeks ago one of the highest-level investigation teams ever assembled by the South African Police Service raided the offices of the Associated Intelligence Network (AIN).
Search warrants show investigators were looking at police involvement in fraud. However, the police this week insisted that the AIN was the focus of the fraud probe.
Three files were taken from the AIN that detail the firm’s involvement in two murder investigations and a kidnapping case. Detective work by the AIN saw the culprits in each case convicted. But policemen investigating the cases claimed R100 000 in informers’ fees – when they did not use their own informers. They are believed to have pocketed the cash, allegedly committing fraud.
Gert Olivier, a director of the firm, confirmed that three files had been seized and that police had questioned him about what they described as “confidential police material” found in one of the files.
Olivier said he was incensed at the timing of the raid, which took place while he was involved in negotiations relating to the sale of one of the AIN’s subsidiaries.
He said he was considering legal action amounting to R79-million against the police. This is the amount of financial damages the company may suffer if the sale of the subsidiary does not proceed. He said he was also upset because his company often assisted the police.
The AIN was set up two years ago and employs some of South Africa’s most famous – and infamous – investigators.
The controversial former national commander of the murder and robbery, illegal firearms and special projects units of the South African Police, General “Suiker” Britz, is perhaps the AIN’s most high-profile employee.
Britz consistently failed to make arrests when investigating crimes committed by the security forces in the 1980s – but boasted great success when investigating anti-apartheid organisations. Detectives in the police today are still awarded the Suiker Britz floating trophy for outstanding detective work.
Internationally famous forensic psychologist Dr Micki Pistorius recently joined the AIN. It is the only private detective company in South Africa to offer the services of a forensic psychologist of her calibre.
Pistorius is famous for her work in catching serial killers and was personally congratulated by the FBI when her team caught a Durban serial killer in less than a month.
After resigning from the police service with post-traumatic stress, Pistorius wrote a best-selling book called Catch Me a Killer. She then joined the AIN.
The company has employed the services of the cream of detectives of the former South African Police.
Former members of the Security Branch, murder and robbery units, commercial crime and forensics units have been poached by the AIN. And it is the AIN’s closeness to the police that has apparently landed it in hot water.
Though official police communications officers were loath to comment, sources told the Mail & Guardian that the AIN was under investigation as it was suspected that the company was paying off policemen to use state resources to help conduct AIN investigations.
The investigating team believes police were being paid to supply confidential records held on the police’s computer databases.
The AIN is supposed to have been provided access to the police criminal records library, the fingerprint library and the computers that hold the ownership records of cars, among other records.
The file seized by police contains only information relating to the ownership of a car.
Police representative Director Strini Govender said he could reveal only the barest details as police were worried any publicity relating to the case may be detrimental to their investigations.
He did, however, confirm that a team of detectives, led by Assistant Commissioner Andre Potgieter, obtained search warrants and raided the premises of the AIN to search for evidence relating to several fraud investigations.
Govender said that the AIN, and not one of the company’s clients, was the subject of the fraud probe.
How the group is structured
The Associated Intelligence Network group is made up of several separate divisions with branches in every major city in the country.
The divisions are: Associated Credit Management (ACM) is a division that acts as a credit bureau, advising clients on whether to give credit or not. Most of ACM’s employees are former detectives in the police’s commercial crime unit. Associated Intelligence Electronics, which supplies and installs covert and overt surveillance equipment. AIN Electronics also boasts a monitoring room.
Many of AIN Electronics employees were recruited from the National Intelligence Agency and police Security Branch. Associated Prevention Services (APS) act as a bodyguard company, supplying VIP protection to clients. Members of APS include former officers of the Special Task Force and police VIP protection units. Associated Intelligence Professionals render auditing facilities to clients. Like ACM, many of their staff are former commercial crime unit police officers. Associated Intelligence Network renders an investigation service to clients. Included in the staff of AIN are former top murder and robbery detectives – and specialist investigators such as forensic psychologist Micki Pistorius.