South Africa seizes another $5.7 million arms money

Barely three weeks after impounding $9.3 million in cash transported by two Nigerians and an Israeli for a purported arms purchase, the South African government has seized another $5.7 million, from Nigeria, South Africa’s City Press reports.

According to the paper, the latest transaction was an arms deal between Cerberus Risk Solutions, an arms broker in Cape Town and Societe D’Equipments Internationaux, said to be a Nigerian company based in Abuja.

Part of the report reads: “Cerberus was previously registered as a broker with the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), but the registration expired in May this year.

“The marketing and contracting permits also expired at the same time. The company has since applied for re-registration, but the application lay in the NCACC’s mailbox for more than two months.

“Sources told Rapport that Cerberus apparently tried to pay the money back to the Nigerian company, after which the bank became suspicious.”

The paper added that while the NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit subsequently obtained a court order in the South Gauteng High Court to seize the money, the NPA spokesperson Nathi Mncube, said there were no indications the two transactions were related.

“However, both are now the subject of a criminal investigation and all possible information and connections are being investigated,” Mncube was quoted as saying.