State going for Shaik's wallet

2005-06-02 22:50

Adriaan Basson

Durban - Now, the State is going after Schabir Shaik's assets, too.

On Thursday, Shaik hardly had time to recover from the shock of the guilty verdict when advocate Billy Downer SC, chief prosecutor, told the court the national prosecuting authority (NPA) would be lodging an application to confiscate Shaik's assets.

Members of the NPA's asset forfeiture unit have been attending Shaik's trial since Tuesday.

Shaik's assets, including the black BMW 745i in which he arrived at the court every morning, amount to millions of rands.

According to Downer, the State wants to apply in terms of section 18(1) of the Crime Prevention Act to attach Shaik's assets.

He said: "The State is entitled to bring an application to attach the proceeds an accused has derived from crime."

According to Judge Squires, he has not had such an application before.

Must hand in his passport

On Thursday, Shaik was released on R100 000 bail after his original bail of R1 000 had been recalled after his conviction.

He has to hand his passport to the Scorpions on Friday morning.

Sentencing was due to start on Friday with Downer, who will be calling Hennie van Vuuren, a researcher with the Institute for Security Studies, as a witness in aggravation of sentence.

After that, the court was to adjourn until Tuesday when advocate Francois van Zyl SC, for Shaik, will argue in mitigation of sentence.

- Beeld