A brewing war between liquidators and feuding families in the ongoing saga of the multimillion-rand Arthur Kaplan jewellery heist has taken a new turn, with claims and counter-claims over a family heirloom taking centre stage.
While in prison after being denied bail, former Arthur Kaplan director Hoosein Mohamed has opened a case with the police against Enver Motala, whose daughter Laila is the liquidator for Arthur Kaplan. She has accused Mohamed of assaulting and threatening her.
The case opened against Motala revolves around a R400,000 payment from jewellery outfit NWJ, a sister company to Arthur Kaplan, to a company owned by Motala.
Mohamed says he was forced into a R400,000 bribe to Motala — but Motala insists the money was from NWJ, which bought a family heirloom from his wife.
Motala, also a liquidator, claimed there was a lot of pressure on his daughter to withdraw the charges against Mohamed, who has been in custody since his arrest for allegedly assaulting and threatening Laila on June 1.
The conflict centres on an 18 carat white gold diamond solitaire ring, with claw set diamonds on a shank, which Motala said was sold to NWJ.
Motala told TimesLIVE Premium the payment was made by NWJ, which as a subsidiary business falls under the holding company’s banking profile. It was payment for a ring his wife had inherited from her mother, who died of Covid-19 last September.
“Ewa had decided that she was never going to wear the ring and wanted R600,000 for it. So we had it valued by NWJ who came back to say that as a used piece with a stone that had some flaws, they could offer her only R400,000,” Motala explained.
He advised his wife to take the offer, as her intention was to use the money in a way that would pay tribute to her late mother, who lived with them in Johannesburg for six years after her husband passed away and she was left alone in Warsaw.
But according to an affidavit by Mohamed, sent to TimesLIVE Premium by his lawyer Mohseen Mayet, he has evidence of a WhatsApp conversation, purported to be between himself and Motala, in which Motala instructs Mohamed to pay R400,000 into his account, Shenver Investments, or face financial ruin.
The volatile exchange reads like a poorly written movie script, with Motala allegedly making statements like “Should I not receive payment, you will know who you dealing with son [sic]” and “Hahaha, you have not been to school, you don’t even know the meaning of ‘extorting’. Don’t worry son, I will teach you!!”
Mohamed’s responses appear pleading and desperate: “Uncle Enver I have put my heart and soul into this business plz don’t do this to me” and eventually acceptance, “I’m sorry payment will be made”.
In his affidavit, Mohamed included a confirmation of payment which shows that on May 3 R400,000 was paid from an account identified as Luxe Holdings Limited to Shenver Investments. Luxe Holdings is the parent company of Arthur Kaplan and NWJ.
Motala, who claims the WhatsApp exchange was manufactured, shared a copy of the apparent invoice with TimesLIVE Premium to show the money was for the ring.
Police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed to TimesLIVE Premium the case was opened at Sandton last week. No arrests have been made.
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