CAPE TOWN – Hawks head Godfrey Lebeya told Parliament on Wednesday that he expected criminal prosecution against former Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste to have taken place.
Lebeya told Parliament that he checked in with the National Prosecuting Authority on progress made.
As the net starts to close on Jooste with the attachment of some of his major assets by the South African Reserve Bank (Sarb) on Tuesday, he's yet to face any criminal prosecution.
It’s been four years since disgraced Jooste appeared before Parliament’s finance committees.
It’s also the only time he has been forced to account to any authority for the scandal since it broke in 2017.
On Wednesday, the Democratic Alliance’s Alf Lees put Lebeya on the spot during a meeting of the standing committee on public accounts.
“I’m thrilled to see at least the reserve bank is able to reign in Markus Jooste even if the Hawks – after all these years – still have not charged him with anything,” Lees said.
Lebeya said Hawks investigators and prosecutors have been using the same affidavit as has the reserve bank to pursue a case against Jooste.
“In certain processes, we were of the view that we can already move, but we are not prosecuting. But we'll present the evidence as it comes to our attention.”
Lebeya said the Hawks have taken note of the route pursued by the reserve bank in respect of civil litigation.
Artmotion S.Africa
