Hawks pin 8 for VBS Mutual Bank heist

The arrests follow simultaneous search-and-seizure operations by the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Gauteng and Limpopo on Wednesday.

Four of the suspects were arrested on Wednesday, while the other three are expected to hand themselves over soon.

The eighth suspect is still recovering from Covid-19 at a quarantine site and will appear in court as soon as he has recovered.

Hawks head Godfrey Lebeya told the media at a briefing in Pretoria that the arrests marks a  milestone in the investigation.

“It was decided to charge the suspects with 47 counts of various criminal offences. These are five counts of racketeering, 12 of these counts are of theft, seven of these are for fraud, 15 counts are of corruption, seven counts are of money laundering,” he said.

“The investigation has revealed that the eight men who are the suspects either unduly, directly or indirectly, benefited at least R122 287 863.”

The South African Reserve Bank released a damning report in October 2018 that detailed the looting of nearly R2 billion from the now defunct Limpopo-based bank.

The report, compiled by advocate Terry Motau, fingered more than 50 people in the looting – including several high-ranking officials and their family members.

Lebeya remained mum when asked if any politicians were on the Hawks’ radar.

“At the time of the search, there are obviously evidence that we are looking for in the form of paperwork. Among the items that have been seized include a watch.

“We will obviously not be revealing item by item at this point that have been seized. It’s a matter that will be dealt with at court,” he added.

The suspects will appear at the Palm Ridge Regional Court in Johannesburg on Thursday.

“There are procedures of dealing with those. We respect those arrangements that whoever is affected by Covid-19 needs to be handled in a particular way.”

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