The huge scope of the investigation into the Brett Kebble empire became clear this week as details trickled in on a massive seizure of evidence by the Scorpions on Wednesday.
The raids took place under the banner of Scorpions project ‘Empire Kâ€, which focuses on the fraud carried out in the two main companies controlled by Kebble, JCI and Randgold & Exploration (R&E).
However, some prominent figures in the investigation of Kebble’s murder in September 2005 were either searched, or named as persons of interest during other searches.
They included Clint Nassif, whose Johannesburg home was searched and who bulks ever larger in the murder investigation.
The murder probe, by the same Scorpions team and tagged ‘Bad Guysâ€, is looking not just at the murder but also at the organised crime syndicates that became attached to the Kebble empire.
It is estimated that Kebble and his associates conspired to steal R3-billion in assets, mainly shares that were secretly transferred out of JCI and R&E.
Wednesday’s raids included the JCI and R&E headquarters at 28 Harrison Street, Johannesburg, where its current chief executive Peter Gray and other staff were herded into the boardroom while investigators seized and copied documents and computer hard drives.
The Mail & Guardian understands that about a dozen individuals were raided, as well as a number of companies and entities.
Among those understood to have been raided were:
- Patricia Beale, company secretary during the Kebble era, who allegedly authorised a number of the bogus share transactions that saw company assets transferred into private accounts, including some controlled by Kebble;
- Hendrik Buitendag, JCI financial director and Kebble’s right-hand man until he was partly displaced by Australian ‘fixer†John Stratton;
- Charles Cornwall, a former director of JCI and prominent member of the Plettenberg Bay ‘polo setâ€;
- Gareth Griffiths, an accountant who served as a director of a host of JCI-linked companies, including South Atlantic Fisheries, a firm that included prominent ANC businessmen Chris Nissen and Sharif Pandor;
- Songezo Mjongile, a prominent member of Kebble’s ANC Youth League entourage;
- Mafika Mkwanazi, former TransÂnet chief executive and chairperson, during the Kebble era, of Western Areas gold mine;
- Thabo Msololi, a chartered accountant and board member of Telkom and Tsogo Sun. He served as a director of a number of empowerment companies linked to the Kebble empire;
- Lunga Ncwana, also a former ANC Youth League official and a central player in the circle of young empowerment figures around Kebble;
- George Poole, who also served as company secretary under Kebble; and
- Sello Rasethaba, another player in the empowerment companies set up in partnership with Kebble, which included Matodzi.
Documents attached to the search warrants show that the National Prosecuting Authority used close to 30 agents, including members of audit firm KPMG, to assist with the investigation.
The searches relate to suspected fraud, theft and corruption in relation to JCI and R&E, and the warrants list about 85 individuals and 112 entities of interest to investigators, suggesting the Scorpions are engaged in a very broad search for evidence.
Among those listed are Ari Halpern and Paul Stemmet, who form part of the controversial Palto private security network linked to police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi.
Also named is Hage Geingob, the Namibian politician who was due at the dinner Kebble was to attend before he was shot.