Kimberley – Marius Korff, the man currently testifying in the Northern Cape High Court in the multi-million rand Project Darling illicit diamond buying (IDB) case, was on Thursday heard saying that if he had to kill the case’s informant, Linton Jephta, he would have done so, in an audio recording presented as evidence by the State.
Korff also allegedly tried to involve alleged Sexy Boys gang leader, Jerome Booysen, in getting to Jephta, following an overseas “operation” for which Jephta apparently owed him money.
Booysen was previously named in court as a suspect in the 2011 killing of businessman and rumoured spy, Cyril Beeka, who was killed in a drive-by shooting that rocked the underworld and exposed a Serbian assassin.
Korff is currently testifying as a defence witness in the case where 13 accused face charges relating to the contravention of the Diamond Act and Prevention of Organised Crime Act, following an undercover operation by the Hawks where Jephta acted as an undercover agent and infiltrated identified targets (suspects) and sold them illegal diamonds that belonged to the State during several transactions.
These transactions eventually led to the arrests of the suspects, including some of the biggest names in the local diamond industry.
State prosecutor, Johan Roothman, on Thursday presented an audio recording between Korff and Frans Volsckenk, the owner of Africa Ulwazi Management (AUM), to which Korff was contracted as an “intelligence officer” who played an integral role in collecting intelligence and identifying targets for the undercover illegal diamond dealing operation (conducted by Jephta) during Project Darling.
While the conversation, presented in court on Thursday, started off with “lighthearted bantering” between the two, Korff went on to tell Volsckenk that Jephta had contacted him to request money for a trip to Hong Kong, as he had information about “big cats” (with regards to role players in Project Darling) and that he (Korff) now had debt of R30 000 that Jephta had not paid back to him.
In the recording Korff then stated that he had no problem with confronting Jephta and even to kill him if neccessary.
Roothman asked Korff about the content of the recording and stated that when he previously asked if he (Korff) had ever threatened Jephta, he answered “no.”
Documents which forms part of the the illicit diamond dealing case. Picture: Danie van der Lith
Korff responded by saying that he never confronted Jephta “face to face” and never followed through with the threats.
He added that he was furious with Jephta about the money he owed him at the time and that the (recorded) conversation was said to Volsckenk “in passing.”
The recording continues with Volsckenk asking Korff why he paid the R30 000 for Jephta’s trip.
“Because if I came to you and said I needed money from you to send the guy, you would have told me to leave it, as it is not worth it. I wanted the information, as it sounded important, even if I saw my arse, it would be all right. Now I’m sitting with R30 000 in debt, owed to a friend of mine, from whom I borrowed it,” Korff is heard saying in the recording.
Roothman responded by confronting Korff with previous evidence he tendered, stating that he had asked Volsckenk for the money for the trip, but that Volsckenk had told him that there were no funds available, whereafter he borrowed Jephta the money.
“From the recording I do not get the impression that this trip was previously discussed with Volsckenk and he said he was never aware or approached about the trip to Hong Kong,” Roothman stated.
Korff maintained that he had a meeting with Volsckenk about a week before Jephta departed to Hong Kong where he asked him for the money but Volsckenk told him that AUM did not have any funds.
Korff added that the benefit in paying the money would be access to valuable information (with regard to project darling) and an extension of his role as intelligence official for De Beers (AUM.)
Korff is expected to continue testifying under cross-examination on Monday.