Ziyaad Poole, an associate of alleged crime boss Nafiz Modack, testifies in court on R213,000 payments linked to an alleged money-laundering scheme tied to a criminal syndicate.

Alleged underworld kingpin Nafiz Modack's close associate Ziyaad Poole took the stand on Monday, 25 May, denying all allegations and distancing himself from the charges against him. Despite his denials, his testimony provided a glimpse into the State's core argument: the existence of a sophisticated money-laundering network central to an alleged criminal syndicate.

The Western Cape High Court heard that Poole, who earned roughly R7,000 a month as a security guard for Modack between May 2019 and March 2021, could not explain substantial payments channelled to him through the account of Empire Investment Cars. The State contends that R213,000 paid to Poole via transactions with various false references was part of a much broader money-laundering scheme.

Poole faces more than 20 charges, including murder, fraud, and money laundering.

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According to the State, the Empire Investment Cars account was allegedly used to fund several crimes linked to the criminal enterprise, including:

Failed attempts between October and November 2019 to murder Anti-Gang Unit detective Charl Kinnear; The July 2019 murder of Nicolaas Heerschap, father of former Hawks warrant officer Nico Heerschap;The attack on the home of alleged underworld figure Andre Naude on the night of 6 September 2019; <a...