Durban - Durban businessman Yusuf Omarjee, who was accused of being the kingpin in a multimillion-rand container theft racket, was cleared of all charges in court this week, and now plans to take civil action against his accusers.
Speaking to the Sunday Tribune, Omarjee said he always knew the charges against him were trumped up.
“I challenged the State to show me one container I stole, but they couldn’t,” said Omarjee.
The State this week failed to prove its case against Omarjee, resulting in the charges against him being withdrawn.
He faced 135 counts of fraud, and one count of unauthorised borrowing.
Omarjee was the general manager of Zungeza Trading, a company that operated a container storage facility in the Bayhead area.
Prosecutor Siyabonga Majola was due to lead evidence from 21 witnesses to prove Omarjee’s culpability, but presiding magistrate Sharon Marks found the State was struggling to substantiate the charges.
On Thursday, Majola told the court that the State had decided to stop the prosecution.
“No reasonable court would have convicted him (Omarjee) on the evidence before the court,” said Marks.
However, Omarjee and his legal team believe “the whole investigation was driven by other agendas at play”, said Mark Dyson, Omarjee’s case manager.
Dyson said Omarjee had hired a private investigator when he realised containers were missing from the business he managed.
With information gathered, Terence Pillay, the depot manager, emerged as the person behind the container theft.
Omarjee alerted the Maydon Wharf branch of the SAPS about the findings.
By then, Pillay had already resigned from his position with Zungeza (2012).
Pillay pleaded guilty to the charges and received a R30 000 fine. Half the payment was suspended for five years. He then turned State witness.
But when the SAPS Organised Crime Unit took over investigations, Dyson claims Omarjee became the suspect and Pillay a key witness.
Dyson also revealed that the approximate value of the 135 stolen containers was R2.1 million.
“We were never asked to answer for containers valued at R400m.
“That is why we are so angry. False information was put into the media to defame Omarjee and make him look like an organised crime kingpin.”
Omarjee vowed not to let the matter rest, and promised to take civil action against those who had conspired against him.
Sunday Tribune