Businessman Thoshan Panday. (File photo)
Corruption-accused businessman Thoshan Panday, who has been in custody since September after being arrested on tax-related charges, has been granted bail of R100 000 by the Durban Magistrate’s Court.
Before the tax-related charges, Panday was charged along with former KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Mmamonnye Ngobeni, and others, for their alleged involvement in racketeering, fraud and corruption relating to a R47 million Fifa Soccer World Cup tender scandal. The South African Police Service awarded contracts to his company to provide accommodation during the event.
Panday was granted bail on that matter, but was arrested on the tax charges in September.
In the tax fraud case, the state has alleged that Panday made misrepresentations to the South African Revenue Service (Sars) to either evade tax, assist others to evade tax, or obtain undue tax returns. The potential prejudice to Sars in the 27 counts he is charged with amounts to more than R7.5 million.
When Panday initially applied for bail in the tax matter in the Durban Magistrate’s Court, bail was denied on the grounds that he had violated his bail conditions.
The state argued that Panday had previously disregarded his bail conditions after his passport was handed back to him so he could travel for business to Istanbul in Turkey and apply for visas for a trip to Europe.
He instead used a passport he had previously reported as lost to travel to the United States.
Investigative Directorate spokesperson Henry Mamothame said that Panday was granted bail of R100 000 and ordered to appear in the Durban High Court on 15 February next year for both the corruption and the tax fraud cases.
Last month, the Mail & Guardian revealed that Panday, a former business partner of Jacob Zuma’s son Edward, had spent several weeks in private hospitals rather than in the Westville prison.
Correctional services commissioner Makgothi Thobekgale appointed an investigation into the allegations that Panday and convicted Pietermartizburg prisoner Rajivee Soni, were bribing authorities to receive preferential treatment.
Correctional services minister Pieter Groenewald carried out spot visits on both prisons shortly thereafter.