Namibian Bank Heist: How Mugabe’s Pilot Funnelled Millions in Stolen Funds Through South African Law Firm
A staggering N$18.8 million, equivalent to just over US$1 million, was stolen from Namibia’s SME Bank and laundered by Robert Mhlanga, the former pilot and confidant of Zimbabwe’s ex-president Robert Mugabe.
This shocking revelation comes from court documents filed in South Africa’s Gauteng High Court by SME Bank’s liquidators, Ian McLaren and David Bruni.
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How Mugabe’s Pilot Funnelled Millions Stolen From Namibian Bank
According to the liquidators, around N$20.8 million was transferred from SME Bank into the trust account of Johannesburg law firm Paul Casasola & Associates between 2014 and 2015. This law firm was owned by Mhlanga’s then-lawyer, Paul Casasola, who reportedly kept N$2 million of the stolen funds.
“The remaining N$18.8 million was transferred to Mhlanga and/or the Liparm Entities and/or third parties (for Mhlanga’s benefit) by Casasola, acting as paymaster from the Casasola & Associates Trust Account, on Mhlanga’s instructions,” the liquidators stated.
When Namibian liquidators pursued him in South Africa, Mhlanga quickly settled the matter to avoid prosecution by repaying the N$18.8 million. However, this case has shed light on how politically connected individuals exploited a bank designed to support small businesses in Namibia.
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The Mastermind Behind the Heist
Zimbabwean Enock Kamushinda, a former personal banker to Mugabe, is accused of orchestrating the bank heist. At the time, Kamushinda was running SME Bank when the funds were funnelled to Mhlanga.
When contacted by The Namibian for comment on Sunday, Mhlanga’s former lawyer, Casasola, denied that any SME Bank funds were transferred into their trust account.
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A Complex Web of Transfers
The liquidators presented evidence in Johannesburg court, showing how the N$20 million paid to Mhlanga and Paul Casasola resulted from fraud and money laundering activities. Some payments made to Mhlanga were even labelled as ‘Goldkid’.
The first sum stolen from SME Bank was N$2 million, transferred on 1 August 2014 in seven smaller transactions to avoid detection by Namibian authorities. These amounts ranged from N$245,000 to N$355,000 and were made as cash deposits.
Initially, the stolen funds were funneled to a company called Transparency Business Solutions, then laundered through Rustic Stone Trading, and eventually transferred into the Casasola & Associates Trust Account.
Additionally, a N$2.5 million electronic payment was allegedly laundered from SME Bank on 29 August 2014, followed by another N$3 million on 22 September. These funds were routed through entities like Technical Assignments (Pty) Ltd, Benoni Brokers CC, Transparency Business Solutions, and Rustic Stone Trading before landing in the Casasola & Associates Trust Account.
This laundering process continued on multiple occasions until 19 November 2015, by which time at least N$20 million had been stolen from SME Bank. The liquidators emphasized that SME Bank was the rightful owner of the stolen money, which had been laundered through various entities acting as intermediaries before being transferred to the Casasola & Associates Trust Account.
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