Edwin Sodi’s luxury cars ‘officially’ taken away by AFU

Businessman Edwin Sodi’s assets were officially seized on behalf of the court as requested by the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) on Monday.

The seizure comes after the AFU had obtained a restraint order from the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein to put a freeze on any attempt to rid the assets. The AFU reportedly froze R300 million in assets belonging to the suspects.

A Ferrari as well as a Bentley Continental convertible worth R3 million each were taken away on Monday.

In addition, third parties in possession of Sodi’s listed assets – whom in an event were borrowed to them – were required to return the assets according to court documents.

Image: Twitter / @kgmadisa

Sodi, who is a director at Blackhead Consulting, is one of the suspects accused of having profited from the dodgy Free State asbestos audit tender worth R255 million.

The businessman and six other suspects were arrested by the Hawks last week.

Alongside Sodi, the suspects included former mayor of the Mangaung metro municipality, Olly Mlamleli, former head of the department of human settlements in the Free State, Nthimose Mokhesi, and the former director-general of the national department of human settlements, Thabane Zulu.

They are facing more than 60 charges which included corruption, fraud, money laundering in contravention of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, Prevention of Organised Crime Act, as well as contravention of the Public Finance Management Act.

The suspects made their first appearance at the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on Friday, with the case being postponed to 11 November.

Sodi was released on R500 000 bail while Mokhesi and Mlamleli were granted R100 000 bail each.

The other accused in the matter are Johannesburg-based businessman Sello Radebe, who was granted R100 000 bail, director of supply chain management at the department of human settlement Mahlomola Matlakala, and a businessman from Pretoria, Abel Manyeki, who were each granted R50 000 bail.

A 2017 Ferrari F151 valued at around R3-million has been seized from Blackhead Consulting, a company owned by prominent businessman Edwin Sodi. He is allegedly involved in the R255 million Asbestos project. #FSAsbestosCase pic.twitter.com/AwTjPoCySo

— POWER987News (@POWER987News) October 6, 2020

Compiled by Molefe Seeletsa. Additional reporting from Rorisang Kgosana and Makhosandile Zulu

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