World Cup Fraud: NPA Seizes Assets Worth R165 Million From 9 Accused

The National Prosecuting Authority Asset Forfeiture Unit (NPA AFU) executed the order to seize assets worth R165 million from nine accused in 2010's World Cup Fraud Monday morning.

The nine accused include former KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni, Durban businessman Thoshan Panday, his ex-wife Privisha Panday, former section head of acquisition in Supply Chain Management (SCM) in KZN Colonel Navin Madhoe Arvenda Panday, Captain Ashwin Narainpershad formerly of SCM KZN, Seevesh Maharaj Ishwarkumar, Tasleem Rahiman and Kajal Ishwarkumar.

Sindisiwe Seboka, who serves as NPA Investigating Directorate spokesperson, said that the "order of over R165 million is the amount of the proceeds of unlawful activities received by the enterprise, and the individual parties in furtherance of the conspiracy and/or common purpose and/or the commissioning of the crimes," SANews reported.

Seboka explained that the SAPS (South African Police Service) officials "failed to follow the prescripts of the Public Finance Management Act, by amongst others, deliberately delaying applications for procurement authority from the National Office for accommodation for the 2010 SWC."

She noted that the officials were "deliberately not following up on invitations they had sent to existing service providers (who charged reasonable rates). [This caused] the need to procure accommodation for SAPS members for the 2010 SWC on an urgent basis and at inflated rates, a mere couple of days before the 2010 SWC was due to start."

Seboka further explained that this intentional delay by the officials in procuring accommodation well in advance "led to an urgent deviation from normal procurement processes which had to be processed in haste by the National Office."

Due to this delay, Thoshan Panday's company, Goldcoast Trading, received 80% of the accommodation order for which they charged SAPS rates that were much higher than other service providers in the market at that time.

Goldcoast Trading owner "misrepresented" that the bookings of 2010 SWC has been secured in 2008. Thoshan eventually placed the police members in the venues and paid them a low rate while claiming inflated rates from SAPS.

"In addition, Goldcoast and four other entities associated with him through family member ownership, received orders approved by Madhoe and Narainpershad for miscellaneous goods required by SAPS members for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, through fraud including cover quoting and forgery," Seboka continued.

She went on to mention that Panday is the "mastermind of the criminal enterprise." Seboka also disclosed that the bank accounts of all the parties have been frozen with immediate effect.

"The return date of the provisional order is 29 May 2023," she concluded. "Furthermore, the success of obtaining the order is largely assisted by Hawks investigators situated within the ID."