DA: Jo'burg crime unit to investigate Shaik

DA: Jo'burg crime unit to investigate Shaik
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Mar 30 2011 16:58


The commercial crimes unit at the Johannesburg Central Police Station will investigate convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik's alleged breach of the Companies Act, the Democratic Alliance said on Wednesday.

The DA laid charges against Shaik after reports that he was still listed as a director of a company that was involved in South Africa's arms deal.

"Mr Shaik needs to take responsibility for his apparent failure to comply with the legislation," DA federal chairperson Wilmot James said in a statement.

"If Mr Shaik instructed his auditors to engage with Cipro [Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office] on this matter, as he suggests in this morning's Beeld, then it is his responsibility to follow the matter up, and ensure that his auditors have carried out his request."

Cipro said they had not heard from Shaik's auditors, James said.

Police spokesperson Vish Naidoo said he could not confirm that the commercial crime unit would be investigating. He said only once investigations had started would he be able to do so.

The Sunday Times reported that Shaik was listed as a director of KobiProp, previously a subsidiary of the Nkobi Group, which was fined for corruption during Shaik's fraud and corruption trial, which ended in 2005.

Shaik's lawyer Reeves Parsee told the Sunday Times: "He [Shaik] said he had given his accountants instructions to resign himself from KobiProp. He doesn't know why this hasn't been reflected."

According to the Companies Act someone found guilty of theft, fraud, forgery, uttering a forged document or corruption cannot hold a directorship.

Shaik is the sole "active" director of KobiProp, according to Cipro. -- Sapa