SA refuge for underworld

16 May 2010, 11:00

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Lolly Jackson's suspected killer, the Cypriot going by the name of "George Smith", is but one of the gallery of rogues who have lived and are living in South Africa, high on the hog, with impunity.

South Africa is peppered with high-profile figures with known connections to the criminal underworld, their freedom apparently bought from corrupt government officials.

Smith, apparently a Cypriot named Georgianos Louka but who has at least five other aliases, reportedly possesses a South African ID saying he was born here.

And a known criminal he is linked to, Czech billionaire Radovan Krejcir, is being sought by international law-enforcement agencies in connection with a multimillion-euro fraud case and an attempted murder case.

Yet a deal apparently has been made between Krejcir and the SAPF to let him off the hook of an extradition order he is fighting, in exchange for information about Smith. This has infuriated local Interpol police.

Yet "Smith" and Krejcir are simply the latest additions to the list of criminals who have found refuge here. Remember German tax fugitive Jurgen Harksen, who managed to live in South Africa for nine years before finally being extradited to Germany for his trial?

In evidence during the 2002 bail hearing of another German fugitive, Erwin Heldmann, Harksen was named the contact person for newly arrived fugitives in South Africa as he "knows important people and is au fait with South Africa's legal system".

Members of the National Intelligence Agency were involved in procuring false IDs for German fugitives who hid in South Africa, according to the evidence.

Then there is Vito Palazzolo, alias Robert von Palace Kolbatschenko, who has lived in South Africa since the late 1980s, despite being convicted in absentia in Italy for his Mafia dealings.

Often referred to as the Mafia's banker, Palazzolo was involved in massive money-laundering schemes, as well as drug smuggling and immigration fraud, yet he managed to hide here all this time. Now living in a penthouse on the V&A Waterfront, he is fighting his extradition in the Western Cape High Court (his case resumes on May 18).

Mengistu Haile Mariam, who fled to Zimbabwe in 1991 in defiance of an Ethiopian court that found him guilty in absentia for his role in the killing of nearly 2 000 people during the 1977 to 1978 genocide there, also found a friend in South Africa when he came here in 1999. Although his stay was short, he later claimed his visit was organised at the "highest level" and that the South African government had assured him that he would not be extradited.

More recently, controversial former Rwandan military chief Kayumba Nyamwasa exiled himself in South Africa via Uganda, avoiding moves to have him extradited to Rwanda to answer for yet unspecified charges.

He is one of a growing number of senior Rwandan army officers who in recent years have fallen out with President Paul Kagame.

In 2007, another senior Rwandan military officer and former director of intelligence, Patrick Karegyeya, also fled to Uganda and then to South Africa.

These high-profile fugitives, however, are the tip of the iceberg, according to Kanneth Mubu, DA shadow minister of international relations and co-operation.

"There are many more foreign fugitives living here... Some of them have brought their ill-gotten wealth and invested in plush homes and properties in this country. Among those who have snapped up prime properties are known African (human) rights abusers who have purchased these properties with stolen public funds," says Mubu.

He adds that it is well know that government corruption is responsible for these individuals attaining false South African IDs and identities.

Charles Goredema, a senior researcher for the Institute of Security Studies' organised crime and money laundering programme, says money makes it easier for people who may want to wipe their dirty slate clean in South Africa.

"By making an investment in the country, your chances of getting in are greatly improved," he says.

"In respect of money laundering, although Fica (Financial Intelligence Centre Act) requirements have made moving suspicious looking money more difficult, there are other mechanisms criminals use, like setting up companies and making transfers that look like investments," he says.

Recognising the ease with which so many outlaws and illegal migrants have come to our shores, living under the radar or with a fraudulent identity, the Home Affairs Department has been trying to root out corrupt officials.

Last month it introduced an electronic tracking system to follow the actions of those dealing with IDs, passports and birth registration documents.

"We've beefed up our anti-corruption unit, but we need to warn that although official corruption might be pronounced in Home Affairs, it is a reflection of a broader malaise in society, and can only be tackled by (the) government together with society in general," says Home Affairs Department spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa.

Meanwhile, the most potent weapon against those who have already slipped under the net and continue to enjoy the good life in South Africa seems to be Crime Line, the anonymous 32211 SMS tip-off service and www.crimeline.co.za

At last year's Crime Stoppers' International conference in Australia, Crime Line was lauded for its work, including posting more than 120 photographs of the world's most wanted criminals on its website.

But for fugitives to be captured and forced to face the consequences of their deeds, there needs to be political will as well. Collusion with people like "George Smith", who apparently made a call to a senior police officer immediately after shooting Jackson, hardly inspires confidence. Nor does brokering amnesty deals with the likes of Krejcir.

From left: Tax fugitive Jërgen Harksen managed to live the high life in South Africa for nine years before being extradited to German. Alleged Sicilian Mafia boss Vito Palazzolo and his wife, Tirtza, have been living in Cape Town since the 1980s, despite being convicted in absentia in Italy for Mafia dealings. Mengistu Haile Mariam, convicted of killing nearly 2 000 people in Ethiopia, fled to Zimbabwe in 1991 and then moved to South Africa in 1999.

This article was originally published on page 4 of The Sunday Tribune on May 16, 2010

The Star

It is obvious that this "Fleeing Fugitive" enjoys the protection of the SA authorities!

Who is really hiding him from justice?