Cape Town - Shocking claims of alleged police corruption surfaced in the Western Cape High Court yesterday as a statement by alleged underworld kingpin Nafiz Modack was entered into evidence.
In a bold statement to the police, Modack claimed that top cops such as Jeremy Vearey and Charl Kinnear were allegedly on his payroll.
Returning to the stand, Hawks detective Edward du Plessis read his initial statement, captured by Captain Alfred Barker.
Here, Modack claimed that after being released on bail he was approached by a man known as Mohamed Hanware, who claimed he could help Modack get his firearms back by paying police R150000.
He said he met with Hanware in August 2018, when he handed over R30 000.
“Mohammed then phoned Kinnear and said he has the masala (meaning money). Kinnear said to him that he is going to send the fat b*t*h (Kinnear’s girlfriend) that is going to pick up the money,” the statement reads.
Modack further alleged that two more payments of R40 000 and R80 000 were paid into a bank account given to him by Hanware.
In his investigation, Du Plessis said he found that the money was transferred from the bank account of Empire Car Investments into four accounts belonging to the wife of Hanware, advocate Caitlin Bowen.
Court documents showed various transfers and payments from 2018 to 2020 using references such as “Gen V”, amounting to R587000.
Further investigations revealed that the money trail stopped with the couple.
While the State revealed that the duo would not be called to testify, Judge Robert Henney further probed Du Plessis about what happened to the money.
The Hawks detective explained that while the reference was made using Vearey’s name, he studied the bank statements but could not find the transfer of funds to any police official from Bowen’s account.
A second statement made to the National Anti-Corruption Unit by Modack was also investigated but detectives could not find payments being made to any police officer and it is understood that a decision was made not to prosecute.
A voice note retrieved off the cellphone of Modack’s co-accused, Amaal Jantjies, was also played in court, where Modack was heard swearing when referring to Vearey.
In the voice note sent to Jantjies, Modack claimed to have paid Vearey R3 million but said he “took him for a ride” and still had his wife arrested on firearm-related charges in Johannesburg.
The State also revealed that Vearey would be called as a State witness.
The trial continues on Monday.