From Times Live

Millions of rand stolen from local businesses could end up in hands of terrorists, warns Werksmans attorney Berhard Hotz. He was speaking yesterday in Sandton.

Hotz specialises in helping companies investigate white collar crime and commercial fraud often committed by employees.

He said money that had been stolen from a South African company had landed up in the hands of terrorists at least once.

But client confidentiality and the law that prevents ongoing investigations being made public, so that suspects are not tipped off, means the general public never hears of such occurrences.

He noted a number of risk factors in South Africa that could lead stolen money sent to terrorist organisations.

Terrorists such as Al-Shabaab, Hezbollah, ISIS and Boko Haram operate in Africa, said Hotz.

They thrived in countries with a “perceived state of lawlessness”.

South Africa’s overwhelmed legal system was inefficient when it came to convictions. In South America, organised crime and Hezbollah were connected with the group making money from the drug trade.

He said he said no reason that organised crime in South Africa could not be linked too be to terrorists.

“There is a lack of intelligence [to detect crime],” he said referring to state bodies such as the National Prosecuting Authority and the Hawks that were embroiled in political interference and controversy.

He knew of two fake NGOs, previously based in South Africa, who raised money for “orphans” but the money was instead sent to Islamic terror organisations in the Middle East.

Read more at Times Live