Ziad Poole, an associate of alleged crime boss Nafiz Modack, testifies in court over a R213,000 payment linked to an alleged money-laundering scheme involving a criminal syndicate.
Ziyad Poole, a close aide of alleged underworld kingpin Nafeez Modack, took the stand on Monday, May 25, denying all allegations and distancing himself from the allegations against him. Despite his denials, his testimony provided a glimpse of the state's core argument: the existence of a sophisticated money-laundering network at the center of an alleged criminal syndicate.
The Western Cape High Court heard that Poole, who earned about R7,000 a month as a security guard for Modac between May 2019 and March 2021, could not account for substantial payments made to him through an Empire Investment Cars account. The state argues that the payment of R213,000 to Poole through transactions with various false references was part of a much wider money-laundering scheme.
Poole faces more than 20 charges, including murder, fraud and money laundering.
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According to the state, the Empire Investments CARES account was allegedly used to finance numerous crimes associated with the criminal enterprise, including:
The failed attempt between October and November 2019 to assassinate Anti-Gang Unit detective Charl Kinnear; the July 2019 murder of Nicholas Heerschap, father of former Hawks warrant officer Nico Heerschap; Attack on the house of alleged underworld figure Andre Naude on the night of 6 September 2019;