Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola says the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is currently seized with 37 high profile State Capture cases.
He said this when he participated in the debate on the State of the Nation Address on Tuesday.
“The NPA’s Investigating Directorate is seized with 37 high profile state capture cases, with 14 matters enrolled in court relating to the various sectors it is focused on. In the next month, the Investigating Directorate will be enrolling additional three seminal matters.”
Lamola said in terms of asset forfeiture, the Gauteng High Court granted an order to seize assets worth R1.4 billion belonging to the accused implicated in the corruption scandal involving the construction of Eskom’s Kusile power station.
“In the Bloemfontein High Court, the NPA has been granted an unlimited restraint order to the value of R 520 million for assets in relation to various Gupta-linked companies. A preservation order was filed by the NPA for the Optimum Mine estimated at R8 billion.
“This is on the back of R870 million and R1,1 billion recovered from McKinsey & Company for their involvement in [the] Transnet and Eskom saga respectively, R217 million has been recovered from Bain and Company and the SIU has recovered over R1.5 billion from ABB South Africa,” he said.
Progress made to prosecute COVID-19 related corruption
Lamola said, meanwhile, that the Fusion Centre, established by government to bring together key law-enforcement agencies to tackle COVID-19 related cases, is making headway in the fight against corruption.
“The Fusion Centre, established by government to bring together the key law enforcement agencies to strengthen the collective efforts to prevent, detect, investigate, and prosecute COVID-19 related corruption, has enrolled 45 cases in court with 101 accused facing charges as of January 2022, 16 of these cases have been finalised with a guilty verdict.”
He said the NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit has recovered R168 million on COVID-19 related matters.
Lamola also said that the Special Tribunal, announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2019, has recovered R500 million through preservation, review and setting aside orders.