A day after the alleged suicide of Markus Jooste, the National Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) obtained arrest warrants for the primary suspects in the Steinhoff case, according to a recently released media statement.
Also read: Former Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste dies following R475 million fine
The DPCI and the NPA teams collaborated closely in ‘a complex prosecution’, that spanned multiple jurisdictions.
Arrest warrants were recently issued on Wednesday, 20 March 2024 for Markus Jooste, former CEO of Steinhoff International Holdings and Stephanus Johannes Grobler, current Director/Board Member at Steinhoff International Holdings.
Allegations against the suspects included fraud, a pattern of ‘racketeering activities’ and the contravention of the Financial Markets Act (FMA) against Steinhoff International Holdings.
To ensure that the suspects couldn’t leave the South African borders, exit routes were secured ‘before the message of securing their attendance in court was shared with the defence’.
Both Jooste and Grobler were initially expected to hand themselves over to the Pretoria Central Police Station, and appear in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court today.
After being notified of his arrest warrant, Jooste ‘allegedly’ committed suicide on Thursday, 21 March 2024. Shortly before his death, Jooste also received a R475 million fine from the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA).
Grobler has appeared in court today on the charges laid before him.
Jooste and Dirk Schreiber, Steinhoff’s former European finance chief, had published documents which ‘included the omission of material facts’, which breached the FMA.
This is in regards to Steinhoff International Holdings Ltd and Steinhoff International Holdings NV’s annual financial statements and reports from 2014 to 2016, and the 2017 half-year report.
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Picture: @Am_Blujay / X