Mpisane case postponed
2013-02-15 18:05
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Durban – A third case involving Durban businesswoman Shawn Mpisane - in which she is accused of interfering
with a State witness - was postponed in the Pinetown Regional Court on Friday.
Mpisane is charged with attempting to persuade a State
witness to alter invoices and has been charged with corruption as well as
defeating the ends of justice.
The matter was postponed to 21 February.
She allegedly tried to persuade a State witness to alter
evidence in a tax matter for which she will stand trial in May.
In the May trial, Mpisane is accused of having inflated
invoices to reduce her tax burden as well as understating the amount of value
added tax payable to the South African Revenue Service.
She faces another trial in the Durban Commercial Crimes
Court on 53 charges of fraud, forgery, and uttering of a forged document.
She allegedly submitted forged documents to obtain
Construction Industry Development Board gradings, which were then used to win
public works department tenders worth R140m for her close corporation Zikhulise
Cleaning Maintenance and Transport, of which she is the sole member.
Her appearance in the Commercial Crimes Court last week
was preceded by a joint raid of the Hawks and the Asset Forfeiture Unit on 6 February.
Hawks spokesperson Paul Ramaloko said at the time assets
worth R140m were being attached.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said in a
statement later that day luxury cars worth about R22m had been seized.
These included a Rolls Royce Phantom, a Rolls Royce
Ghost, a Maserati, a Ferrari Scaglietti, a Porsche Cayenne Turbo, a Panamera
Turbo, two armoured BMW 5 series, and two Hummers, the NPA said in a statement.
According to that statement, the KwaZulu-Natal High Court
had granted the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) an order authorising it to freeze
and seize R140m in property.
On Friday Mpisane's lawyer Jimmy Howse, who argued
against a further postponement of case, said that R70m of Mpisane's assets had
been the subject of a restraining order.
- SAPA
