FERRARIS, Porsches, Bentleys, Rolls-Royces and just about any other super luxury car most South Africans can only dream of, were part of the fleet of luxury cars confiscated yesterday.
Those were just some of the bling items the NPA’s asset forfeiture unit seized from businessman Edwin Sodi. The assets seized yesterday were allegedly bought using money intended to replace life-threatening asbestos roofing from low cost houses in the Free State.
The unit confiscated property and cars belonging to Sodi and his company, Blackhead Consulting in Bryanston, Joburg.
The unit is trying to raise about R300 million, which is R255 million with interest of R45 million from Sodi, his company and co-accused and return it to the state coffers.
Sodi was one of the seven people bust over the R255 million meant to be used for the 2014 Free State asbestos project, which never happened.
Similar seizure operations were taking place at the Free State and KZN homes of Sodi’s co-accused.
Sodi and six others appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court last week. They were all released on bail ranging between R100 000 and R500 000.
Last month, Daily Sun reported that Sodi told the Zondo Commission his company wasn’t qualified to handle asbestos. A tender was given to his company to do audit and assessment and removal of asbestos from old Free State houses.
Sodi also told the commission he regularly donated to the ANC.
NPA spokesman Simphiwe Ngwema said the unit applied for a freezing order against the seven accused in the asbestos corruption case and the Free State High Court, appointing a curator, PwC, to attach the assets, which started executing the order on Friday. “It continued with the exercise in Bryanston yesterday and today. The order was against the items mentioned in the order. We are looking to recover R300m lost through asbestos corruption in the Free State.”
