Hawks pour cold water on claims general helped British millionaire

07 March 2019 - 17:27 By Iavan Pijoos
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The Hawks deny that the Northern Cape head was involved in any dirty dealings with a British businessman.
The Hawks deny that the Northern Cape head was involved in any dirty dealings with a British businessman.
Image: Gallo Images / Beeld / Felix Dlangamandla

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) denies claims that the head of the Hawks in the Northern Cape helped a British millionaire target a business rival in exchange for two property deals. 

An investigation by Channel 4 News in the UK broadcast on Wednesday suggested that Brexit financier Arron Banks and an associate, Kobus Coetzee, tried to bribe Gen Kholekile Galawe.

Banks and Coetzee purportedly offered Galawe financial gratification in the form of millions of rands in property investments.

This, according to Channel 4 News, was done in a bid to discredit and pursue a criminal case against Banks's former business partner Chris Kimber.

Hawks spokesperson Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi said on Thursday that the allegations against Galawe were "baseless".

"We have consulted the general and we found that there is no basis on the fact that there was a representation that was made to the national head regarding this issue."

Mulaudzi said Galawe was seeking legal advice.

"We have also requested any tangible evidence suggesting any corrupt interactions or corrupt conduct by the general. Thus far, we haven't received anything," said Mulaudzi.

The relationship between Banks and Kimber soured in 2017 after Kimber accused Banks of travelling to Russia to raise money for his mines.

Kimber claimed that the money was spent on the Brexit campaign.

According to Channel 4, Banks and Galawe met in May 2017.

The investigation said that Banks initially planned to give Galawe a stake in a call centre business in Durban. The general visited the call centre twice.

He told Channel 4: "I was with these guys when I was in Durban. They took me there to visit, just to view the centre, whoever it is they were claiming to have this big business that they wanted to expand, so it was for them to show me this centre.

"Then the second time was when Arron was present there and I was in Durban ... they took me there, and it was then that I was taken to every corner of that centre, to be told this is what is happening here, and this is what is happening there.

"There was a discussion to say what do you plan to do. I told them that no, my line of interest in business is more to property development. I thought this is a foreign line that they were showing me. It’s not something that I know. To me it will be too risky. After that discussion I then said what I would prefer to get. Because the challenge with property development is to get investors," Galawe told Channel 4.

According to Channel 4, Banks then discussed two potential property deals with Galawe - one in Mthatha and another in Port Elizabeth.  

Mulaudzi said he was not sure where the media in the UK were getting their information.

"We have been communicating with them and giving them answers regarding what we know. If they have anything that they want to share with us, they are more than welcome to give us this information so that we can take it further," he said.


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