The dust is yet to settle in an earlier arms deal scandal, South Africa has seized $5.7 million (R64 million) meant for another transaction.
South Africa’s City Press’ sister paper, Rapport revealed that the money was seized by the Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
According to reports, the latest dead was between Cerberus Risk Solutions, an arms broker based in Cape Town, and Societe D’Equipments Internationaux, a Nigerian company in Abuja.
This time, a sum of $5.7million, which was going to be used to purchase arms from a Cape Town firm, Cerberus Risk Solutions, was intercepted by the Asset Forfeiture Unit of SA's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
However, unlike the preceding controversial $9.3million arms deal, in which two Nigerians and an Israeli were held on 5th September, this new deal carried the approbation of senior security officials from Nigeria.
The report said that Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, a lieutenant colonel, personally issued the end-user certificate for the arms the money was meant to buy.
An entire “shopping list” was supplied with the certificate, which included everything from helicopters to unmanned aircraft, rockets and ammunition.
The report of this fresh seizure is coming barely a month after the first one in the same country which threatened to implicate the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ayo Oritsejafor who is the owner of the private jet transporting the cash and accompanying personnel.
Sources close to the investigation said the latest transaction was between Cerberus Risk Solutions, an arms broker in Cape Town, and Societe D’Equipments Internationaux, a Nigerian company in Abuja, Rapport reported.
It also quoted an impeccable source, saying the Nigerian firm paid the money into Cerberus’ account at Standard Bank.
But because Cerberus does not currently have a valid National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) license, it attempted to return the money to the Nigerian arms broker.
It was at this time that the bank raised alarm and the South African authorities waded into the deal for the seizure.
Cerberus' license, marketing and contracting permits also expired in May. The company has since applied for re-registration, but the application lay in the NCACC’s mailbox for more than two months.
The NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit subsequently obtained a court order in the South Gauteng High Court to seize the money.
Cerberus has not issued any official statement about the incident.
NPA spokesperson Nathi Mncube has clarified that the fresh deal was not related to the first one involving CAN's president.
South Africa has insisted that the money was the proceed of illegal transactions and is now being investigated by the Special Investigating Unit of the department probing offences against the state.
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