Soccer World Cup corruption Thoshan Panday and family

Thoshan Panday and his family members including his mother and wife at an earlier appearance n the Durban Magistrates Court on charges related to a R47 FIFA World Cup Soccer contract. Photograph: Investigating Directorate.

Panday Soccer World Cup: Now family accused of fronting

The state has alleged that Thoshan Panday’s family members set up front businesses to quote the SAPS for accommodation.

Soccer World Cup corruption Thoshan Panday and family

Thoshan Panday and his family members including his mother and wife at an earlier appearance n the Durban Magistrates Court on charges related to a R47 FIFA World Cup Soccer contract. Photograph: Investigating Directorate.

Durban businessman Thoshan Panday and his four co-accused family members appeared briefly in the Durban High Court to face charges related to a R47 million Soccer World Cup fraud and corruption case.

Thoshan Panday’s mother,  Arevenda Panday; his wife, Privisha Panday, his sister Kajal Ishwarkumar, his brother-in-law Seveesh Maharaj Ishwarkumar and his former personal assistant Tasleem Rahiman were arrested earlier in May on charges of racketeering, fraud, and money laundering.

The new additions to the matter joined former KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, General Mmamonnye Ngobeni, Colonel Navin Madhoe, former police captain Aswin Narainpershad and businessman, Toshan Panday.

Investigating Directorate spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka said that the group faced charges of racketeering, fraud, corruption and money laundering. 

|”The accused were arrested by the NPA’s Investigating Directorate (ID) working with the Hawks,” Seboka said.

“The policemen who are accused in this matter face accusations of colluding with Panday to receive contracts from the KZN Police. Panday’s family members are accused of aiding and working with common purpose by registering companies in 2009 which benefitted and worked as fronts for Panday to score the lucrative contracts from SAPS,” Seboka said.

“The companies owned by the family members in question are Bravosat 25 cc, Valotone 21 cc, Kaseev Traders CC. Rahiman also faces charges of forgery for aiding the alleged organised syndicate to score contracts with the Kwazulu-Natal SAPS,” she said.

According to the charge sheet, Panday and his co-accused family members allegedly organised cover quotes for accommodation for police during the 2020 Soccer World Cup, working in cahoots with Narainpershad and Madhoe, who worked in supply chain management in the office of the KZN Saps commissioner. The firms were awarded 166 contracts amounting to R47 million.

Arevenda Panday, Privisha Panday and Kajal Ishwarkumar, were earlier granted R5000 bail, while Seveesh Maharaj Ishwarkumar and 

Tasleem Rahiman were each granted R10 000 bail when they first appeared in the Durban Magistrates Court on 7 May.

The matter was postponed to 20 August 2021 for the defence to bring an application for further particulars.