Busted 'Twice In A Roll" : South Africa Impounds $5.7m Cash-For-Arms From Nigeria

South African authorities have for the second time in four weeks confiscated $5.7 million (N952 million) for another arms deal between Nigeria and South Africa that looks to have gone sour.
The Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of South Africa from the money in their banks, the City Press of South Africa reported yesterday.

Last month, the sum of $9.3 million cash was found stashed in three suit cases by two Nigerians and an Israeli at Lanseria Airport, north of Johannesburg. The cash were consequently seized.

The news of the first transaction sparked anger in Nigeria after it emerged the private jet involved belonged to the head of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Ayo Ortisejafor.....

Pastor Oritsejafor, a close ally of President Goodluck Jonathan, said the plane had been leased to a third party and he could not be blamed for its schedules.
The Nigerian government later admitted it was behind the arms deal, claiming it acted out of desperation for arms to defeat extremist sect, Boko Haram.

An investigation planned by the Senate into the transaction has yet to begin while the House of Representatives threw out a motion seeking a probe.

The latest transaction, according to the paper, was between Cerberus Risk Solutions, an arms broker in Cape Town, and Societe D’Equipments Internationaux, said to be a Nigerian company based in Abuja. The deal allegedly fell apart after Cerberus which had earlier received from Nigeria R60 million (N1.02 billion) in its account at Standard Bank, tried to repay the money as it could not resolve its registration formalities with the South African authorities.

“Cerberus was previously registered as a broker with the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), but the registration expired in May this year,” City Press said.
“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 reported. 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,” Mr. Mncube was quoted as saying.