President Cyril Ramaphosa claims the government has been working hard to enhance and assist law enforcement and allied agencies in order to fulfil his pledge to reverse the tide against corruption in public institutions and combat fraud and collusion in the business sector.
The President claimed these efforts are having an impact in his weekly email to the country on Monday.
“We established the Special Tribunal to help the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) more readily recover stolen cash as well as the Investigating Directorate under the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to deal with major corruption.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, often known as the Hawks, the Asset Forfeiture Unit, and the Specialized Commercial Crimes Unit are three additional crucial crime-fighting organisations that have received assistance and resources from his organisation, he said.
He said that over 20 corruption cases were registered by the Investigating Directorate in the most recent fiscal year, and 65 suspects were charged as a result of coordination with significant actors in the criminal justice system.
Several instances of “State capture” and other severe corruption cases are among them.
The Asset Forfeiture Unit acquired freezing orders worth R5.4 billion in relation to corruption offences during the previous fiscal year, with R70 million going to the Criminal Assets Recovery Fund.
The SIU has recovered monies and assets worth R2.6 billion over the last eight years, while contracts worth R18 billion have been put aside, according to the President.
The SIU has submitted 119 cases totaling more than R13 billion before the Special Tribunal.
“Prosecuting crimes involving corruption is very difficult. Criminals go to great measures to hide their traces.
They create shelf businesses to conceal questionable activities, swiftly transfer funds between several accounts, misrepresent their income to tax authorities, and, in the case of government officials, apply for tenders using friends and family members to conceal their participation.
The President said, “This implies that the authorities’ reaction needs to be just as smart.”
Fuse Center
A multifunctional Fusion Centre was formed by the government in 2020 as an operational centre to fight important financial crimes, such as corruption.
The centre combines the government’s crime prevention and security institutions’ investigative skills with those of the Financial Information Centre, which produces intelligence that law enforcement authorities may employ in their inquiries.
“Fusion Centre’s interdisciplinary strategy to ‘follow the money’ has produced considerable outcomes in the two years since its founding.
The Fusion Centre’s expertise assisted 276 fraud and corruption investigations during the most recent fiscal year.
“By preserving and recovering the profits of crime, almost R659 million was returned to the State. The President said that around R613 million in alleged illegal gains had been frozen.
The Fusion Centre was first established to look into procurement-related misconduct.
According to the President, the organization’s scope has been expanded to encompass significant financial crimes including fraud, money laundering, bad administration, and funding for terrorism.
The South African Revenue Service’s lifestyle audits are another essential instrument for financial intelligence, according to the President.
He said that 25 lifestyle audits totaling more than R450 million were undertaken by SARS last year to address disparities between claimed income and an individual’s lifestyle.
“It is obvious that the steps this government has made to rebuild the competency, credibility, and capacity of the institutions engaged in the fight against corruption are having a discernible effect.
“All law enforcement agencies are working together in unison to attack criminals where it hurts the most: in their pocketbook.
The President said that stolen and misdirected public monies were being recovered, and those guilty for these crimes were being brought to justice by our courts.
Members of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council are chosen
The President has today announced selections to the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council in an attempt to further improve the government’s efforts to stem the tide of corruption.
The Council will include representatives from all facets of society to supervise the application of the government’s anti-corruption plan.
In order to stop State capture from happening again and to eradicate fraud and corruption in South Africa, the new organisation will counsel the government on the crucial preventive measures, institutional capacities, and resources required.
“Our ultimate goal is to create robust institutions that can thwart state takeover efforts in the future and abolish corruption.
He said, “As we build on these achievements, we are convinced that even if it takes time, those who stole and robbed resources intended for the people will face the repercussions of their conduct.