OUTH AFRICA IMPOUNDS ANOTHER $5.7M CASH-FOR-ARMS FROM NIGERIA South African authorities have for the second time in four weeks confiscated $5.7 million (N952 million) for another arms deal between Nigeria and South Africa that looks to have gone sour. The Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of South Africa from the money in their banks, the City Press of South Africa reported yesterday. Last month, the sum of $9.3 million cash was found stashed in three suit cases by two Nigerians and an Israeli at Lanseria Airport, north of Johannesburg. The cash were consequently seized. The news of the first transaction sparked anger in Nigeria after it emerged the private jet involved belonged to the head of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Ayo Ortisejafor. Mr. Oritsejafor, a close ally of President Goodluck Jonathan, said the plane had been leased to a third party and he could not be blamed for its schedules. The Nigerian government later admitted it was behind the arms deal, claiming it acted out of desperation for arms to defeat extremist sect, Boko Haram. An investigation planned by the Senate into the transaction has yet to begin while the House of Representatives threw out a motion seeking a probe. The City Press claimed that its sister paper Rapport has documents in its possession that show that the earlier consignment was approved by the Nigerian government. The National security adviser (NSA) was said to have personally issued the end-user certificate for the transaction. “An entire “shopping list” was supplied with the certificate, which included everything from helicopters to unmanned aircraft, rockets and ammunition,” the paper reported. Mr. Adekunle Karoumi who is the spokesman of the NSA had not responded to our reporter’s text message to comment on the new development. He had via a text message promised to “get back after getting the facts of the matter”. The latest transaction is reportedly between Cerberus Risk Solutions, an arms broker in Cape Town, and Societe D’Equipments Internationaux, a Nigerian company in Abuja. Cerberus was previously registered as a broker with the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) of South Africa but the registration expired in May this year, the paper said. The marketing and contracting permits also expired at the same time. The company has since applied for re-registration, but the application lay in the NCACC’s mailbox for more than two months. It further said Cerberus tried to pay the money back to the Nigerian company, after which the bank became suspicious. The NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit subsequently obtained a court order in the South Gauteng High Court to seize the money. Cerberus’ attorney, Martin Hood, declined to comment on the matter. NPA spokesperson Nathi Mncube said there were no indications that the two transactions were related. “However, both are now the subject of a criminal investigation and all possible information and connections are being investigated,” said Mncube. Source: Daily Trust
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 21:37:31 +0000
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