Info had to be kept from dirty cops in Cape protection racket case court told

The Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday heard details of the lengths to which police have to go to stop their corrupt colleagues from tipping off criminals.

Sea Point police Colonel Charl Kinnear told the court that due to the presence of corrupt senior police officers he was forced to open an inquiry into alleged mafioso Nafiz Modack before he could open an official police docket.

"If a docket is opened‚ anybody who has access to the criminal registration system can see who the complainant was and what was said by the complainant‚" said Kinnear.

He was being cross-examined during the bail hearing for Modack‚ Colin Booysen‚ Ashley Fields‚ Jacques Cronje‚ and Carl Lakay - all arrested on December 15 for their alleged roles in a national extortion syndicate.

Kinnear testified that the syndicate‚ with Modack allegedly at the helm‚ was busy taking over nightclubs from an established security outfit run by controversial businessman Mark Lifman.

During cross-examination by Modack's defence advocate, Edwin Grobler‚ Kinnear was asked why he took seven days to register a case of extortion after  management at The Grand Café in Cape Town told police Modack had tried to force them to pay him R150,000 for security.

Kinnear said he had opened an inquiry first so that corrupt senior police would not tip off the suspects about the case. He previously testified that at least four senior police officers were allegedly under Modack's "influence".

Grobler played a telephone call‚ recorded by Modack‚ who called the applicants (the Grand Café) in the case asking if he and Colin Booysen were extorting or intimidating them.

Grobler argued that Modack was not employed by TSG‚ a security company allegedly used to extort money from restaurants and nightclubs, and from whom The Grand Café received invoices.

In the recordings‚ however‚ Modack could be heard referring to a conversation he and Booysen had with Radley Dijkers‚ manager at The Grand Cafe‚ saying it was a business meeting to discuss TSG's security arrangement with the establishment.

They proceeded to charge the Grand Café for "extra security" costing R90,000‚ over and above the R100,000 for which they were invoiced for December.