DA laying charge against Yengeni
2010-11-01 15:32
Cape Town - The DA’s shadow minister of trade industry, Tim Harris, is currently laying a charge against ANC veteran Tony Yengeni for apparent contravention of section 218 of the Companies Act.
“Section 218 states that any person who has been convicted of fraud shall be disqualified from being appointed or acting as a director of any company," Harris said.
Yengeni was found guilty of defrauding Parliament in 2003 and was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in 2006. He served five months.
“Cipro records (and recent media reports) indicate that, despite his corruption conviction, Mr Yengeni is a director of six companies.
"If this is so, then we believe Mr Yengeni has breached section 218 of the Companies Act and will ask that this apparent contravention be investigated," Harris said to journalists outside Cape Town Central Police Station on Monday.
The penalty for such an offence is a “fine or imprisonment for a period of not exceeding two years, or both”.
Parliamentary questions
Harris said once the charges have been laid, he will submit a list of parliamentary questions to the ministers of justice and trade and industry.
“I will be asking the minister of justice whether the registrar of the court sent the judgment associated with Tony Yengeni’s fraud conviction to Cipro to be included on the disqualified directors register as required by section 218 of the Companies Act; and if not, why not, and who was responsible for sending such information.”
To the minister of trade and industry, Harris said he would ask who was responsible for allowing Yengeni to be registered as a director of several companies if he was on the disqualified directors register.
Harris added that it was important to get to the bottom of the matter as it was another case of high profile corruption which is “undermining the potential growth of South Africa”.
ANC spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi told News24 that the ANC was currently not aware of the charges, but they had seen the reports which ran in City Press and Rapport, and will only respond once they have been discussed by the party.
