South Africans expect Malawi to help them recover US$20m stolen by fugitive Willem Steenkamp
News of the arrest of Willie Steenkamp, who defrauded South Africans of US$20 million, has excited his compatriots back home and are since expecting Malawi to facilitate that the funds be returned to their rightful owners and for the fugitive to be repatriated and face justice — once the Malawi legal process is completed.
The Malawi media has exposed that Steenkamp — under the disguise of the name of Dr. William Bilderberg and operating a company called Bilderberg Limited — duped the authorities that he was an investor and was assisted by the country’s authorities to acquire a Malawi passport under the said pseudo name.
He is under arrest after Ecobank Malawi raised red flags by freezing his account when the US$20 million was wired into it and Ecobank is being greatly applauded “for sticking to their grounds to protect poor South Africans money”.
“Money belonging to poor South Africans is in Malawi at EcoBank Malawi” is what is trending in South Africa, while also accusing the fugitive Steekamp of corrupting the entire Malawi system when he was assisted of acquiring the Malawi passport under that pseudo name of Dr. William Bilderberg.
Some think tanks also ask President Lazarus Chakwera to order the Chief Justice to institute a deep investigation into High Court Judge Ken Manda’s finances as he is centre of the controversy when he granted an injunction against EcoBank Malawi when the Pan African bank — that also operates in South Africa — blocked access to the funds which were rightly suspected as proceeds of crime.
Judge Manda further issued issued a contempt of court against Ecobank, which adds more questions as Malawi Fiscal Intelligence Agency (FIA) advised Ecobank to disregard the injunction to unfreeze the account.
“Did he look at the merits presented or was his judgements influenced by financial inducement from fugitive Williem Steemkamp?” is a question being asked. “Malawians, its time to wake up — the country is under siege.”
The news of Steenkamp’s arrest was brought to light by Malawi media including the online platform, The Investigator, which quoted national police spokesperson Peter Kalaya as saying they conducted a joint operation through the Fiscal Police and FIA that led to the arrest of Steenkamp, together with an accomplice, Malawian Edward Phambala.
The Investigator has in possession court documents that reveal that the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) allowed Steenkamp, a fugitive facing fraud and money laundering charges back in South Africa, to invest US$20 million (approximately K22 billion) in Malawi.
The Investigator reveals that Steenkamp was issued the Malawi passport number MWA097282 obtained on September 26, 2022 under the alias Dr. William Bilderberg despite his Interpol status.
The police and FIA detectives in the joint operation discovered at Steenkamp’s home false travel documents and IDs, which were suspected to have been illegally obtained.
Together with his accomplice Phambala, the fugitive faces forgery, uttering false documents and money laundering charges, which if concluded, South Africans expect him to be repatriated back home to face the law.
But the accused appealed for bail following a court appearance last week and Chief Resident Magistrate Chisomo Msokera is expected to make a ruling on the application on Monday next week.
According to The Investigator, authorities in South Africa as well as Interpol have been trying to arrest Steenkamp for years due to fraud charges he is suspected of committing in Venezuela and South Africa.
He is accused of running a Ponzi Scheme in his home country together with compatriot Jacobus Johannes Christoffel Du Toit. It is reported that Steenkamp, aged 50, ran Wurban Bank Group and Wurban Sovereign Trust through which they took money from investors after promising them massive returns but he disappeared with the funds.
The Investigator reveals that Steenkamp, AKA Dr. William Bilderberg was welcomed to the country by the Malawi Government in October 2022 through the OPC to invest in Malawi under Bilderberg Limited, which was incorporated in the country on October 12, 2022.
He is reported to have raised suspicions last August when he wired the US$20 million from Forex Plus Australia to his account held at Ecobank Malawi, which prompted the Malawian bank freeze the account.
The Investigator further reported that on September 2, Bilderberg Limited and Dr William Bilderberg, through their lawyer Tambulasi, filed for an injunction with the High Court in Blantyre seeking an order to access the US$20 million and the High Court Judge Manda granted the injunction.
But the FIA still ordered Ecobank to ignore the court order, as they had evidence suggesting that Bilderberg was a wanted South African fugitive under the real name Steenkamp.
Police spokesperson Kalaya told the Malawi media that following the arrest, they alerted Interpol as well as all the developments sorrounding the fugitive whilst in Malawi.
Kalaya is quoted as saying police detectives are still on the case as there are more accomplice suspects connected to the case, who are expected to be arrested as well.
On Monday, October 23, 2023 the FIA obtained a preservation order over Steenkamp accounts at Ecobank and a dozen other Malawians who are suspected of having received money or transacted with him to hide his money.
The order, shows that Steenkamp AKA William Birlderberg had US$10.649 million and K3.3 billion in his company accounts and in his accounts and that his personal account possessed K3,3 billion; his wife’s account had about K149 million and his lawyer Felix Tambulasi had two accounts with K2 billion and K148.6 million respectively; his daughter Chene Engelbrecht has K149.2 million at National Bank while associate Mark Deryck Cromhout had K198.7 million.
Others are Malawians namely Doris Phiri with two accounts with K3.2 million and K19.1 million; Brian Magoya with a bank balance of K100 million, Patience Favour Maliwa with a balance of K43.6 million, Peter Goodson Kawonga had K384.9 balance and a company called Kashmira Investment, named as 7th defendant, had K12 million.
A Malawi passport, which a hard to obtain document, was issued to the fugitive without a fuss and questions arise and need investigations into the Malawi Immigration Department as to who was involved in the process.
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