Four Gauteng businessmen appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court after they allegedly laundered over R76 million from Transnet through their companies.
The men- Allan Wayne Tichauer, Sudesh Premchand Rocharam, Yaasien Mahomed and Rafael Bricker face charges of money laundering defined under The Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
They were released on R50 000 bail each.
Spokesperson for the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), Henry Mamothame said the accused were released with stringent conditions and were asked to surrender their passports to the investigating officer.
They were further ordered to report to their nearest police station once a week.
Mamothame said their court appearance emanates from a tender of relocating the assembling point of locomotives from Pretoria to Durban.
He said they were awarded a tender to manufacture 1064 electric and diesel locomotives.
"These accused allegedly misrepresented the relocation costs to Transnet, which allegedly amounted to over R76 million.
"It was further discovered that none of the companies had established their manufacturing plant in Pretoria before the decision to relocate the plant in 2015.
"Following the payment from Transnet into the account of CNR, which were contracted for the relocation, it is alleged that money was laundered through different companies owned by the other accused," said Mamothame.
He said their matter was postponed to January 28, 2025, to add another accused to the charge sheet.
Early this month, KwaZulu-Natal businessman, Thoshan Panday has been granted bail of R100,000 by the Durban Magistrate’s Court.
Panday, 52, was arrested on September 5, 2024, for allegedly defrauding the South African Revenue Services (Sars) of R7.3 million.
He faces 27 counts of fraud, alternatively, contraventions of tax legislation that outlines false returns in respect of VAT and Annual Income Tax.
When he first applied for bail, his request was rejected because it was said that he had breached his bail conditions.
Mamothame said that Panday had traveled to the US, deviating from what the court had authorised.
In another matter, Panday is also facing corruption, fraud and money laundering charges in relation to the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
The State alleges that Panday was effectively in control of several entities that had received payments from the South African Police Services (SAPS) in an amount of approximately R47 million owing to a corrupt relationship with members of the Supply Chain Management Division of the SAPS.
The State further alleges these payments were allegedly made in respect of services rendered to the SAPS preceding and during the Soccer World Cup in 2010.
His co-accused include close family members like his 69-year-old mother Arvenda, his wife Privisha Panday, 45, his sister Kajal Ishwarkumar, 37, brother-in-law Seveesh Maharaj, 44, and personal assistant Tasleem Rahiman, 35.
Panday is out on R100,000 bail in this matter as well.
Mamothame said Panday has been ordered to appear in the Durban High Court on February 15, 2025, for both the corruption and the tax fraud cases.
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