CLOSE family members and friends of infamous Durban businessman, Thoshan Panday, will take the court stand alongside him when the 2010 World Cup trial resumes in May.
A personal assistant and four family members have been added to the indictment sheet and are charged with multiple counts of fraud and racketeering.
During a very short court hearing on Monday at the Durban High Court, it was revealed that five other names have been added on to the indictment sheet, bringing the total to nine.
They cannot be named because they have not been arrested and charged yet.
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According to the Investigative Directorate, the five will be arrested on 7 May and will first appear at the Durban Magistrate court.
The original four did not appear in court on Monday due to a directive from the KwaZulu-Natal High Court for all trial matters in the high courts to be postponed.
This, according to the directive, was done to limit in-person gatherings, as part of the government’s strategy to fight Covid-19.
Panday and others are charged with colluding to defraud the South African government of over R47 million relating to an accommodation tender.
In court papers, it is alleged that Panday acted as a middleman in securing accommodation at inflated prices for police during the soccer tournament.
“It is further alleged, that all of the accused actively associated themselves with the common purpose and worked together to ensure that their fraudulent conduct could continue by inter alia performing corrupt acts to prevent the investigation into the fraud,” read the indictment sheet.
“…and to obstruct or defeat the course of justice, and to ensure the achievement of the common goal of sharing in the proceeds of the orders or contracts being awarded to specific suppliers, being the business entities represented by accused 4 (Panday), his relatives and his assistant.”
Several companies belonging to Panday were allegedly paid in several tranches by the South African Police Service, the largest sum being a once-off payment of R26 million for accommodation.
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The rest of the money, paid out in smaller sums, was for goods and services provided, according to the indictment sheet.
Panday allegedly paid kickbacks to former Colonel Navin Madhoe who was stationed at the Office of the Provincial Commissioner: Supply Chain Management (SCM) Unit, in the form of a car.
Panday also allegedly paid R43 500 towards the tuition fees of Ashwin Narainpershad’s son and bought him a treadmill.
Narainpershad was a former SAPS captain also stationed in the provincial SCM office.
For Mmamonnye Ngobeni, former SAPS Provincial Commissioner, Panday contributed over R20 000 to her husband’s surprise birthday party.
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As SAPS members working for the SCM unit, they were ethically bound to disclose the nature of their relationship with Panday which they did not.
The three police officials allegedly used their positions to not only assist Panday in receiving the tender but also to block any investigations into him.
When the tender was being investigated for procurement irregularities, Panday and Madhoe tried unsuccessfully to bribe then provincial Hawks boss, Johan Booysen with R2 million in cash.
The state has 187 listed witnesses, meaning this could be a long protracted trial.
The nine accused are expected in court on 21 May for a pre-trial hearing.
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