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Today, 22 November 2009

› SACP attacks Malema

› Govt settles with Pikoli

› Chaos after ASA meeting

› JZ hails Miss World effect

Yesterday, 21 November 2009

› SACP attacks Malema

› Match-fixing stuns Europe

› JZ hails Miss World effect

› Henry offers replay

› No armchair ride for Boks

The surreptitious departure for Australia of J Arthur Brown's wife, when she knew there was a warrant for her arrest being held in abeyance, was the "last straw" that led to her husband's arrest, the Cape Town Magistrate's Court heard on Thursday.

Scorpions senior investigator Geoff Edwards told the court: "It was the last straw that broke the camel's back."

Edwards said the wife, Susan's, disappearance was the major factor that led to the decision to arrest her husband without delay, as her departure made Brown himself a serious flight risk.

The testimony, before magistrate Justhree Steyn, was led at Browns' third bail application, following his recent arrest on fraud and theft charges related to the Antheru Trust.

Edwards told the court that Brown himself was very upset, and accused the Scorpions of "crossing the line" by involving his wife and family in the investigation.

He said the wife was under investigation over a sum of R1.3-billion that had been transferred from the Old Mutual insurance giant into the wife's personal bank account.

Edwards added: "The Old Mutual money was deposited into her personal account, and she spent the money."

For this, she was to be charged with money laundering.

Asked by the court if she had known where the money in her account had come from, Edwards said: "We did an analysis of her account from which it was clear that such a huge deposit was unusual."

He said the wife had signed the cheques drawn from the Old Mutual funds.

Edwards said he had been in Pretoria at the time the wife departed with the children for Australia.

His investigation had revealed that she had left on a cancelled passport that she had earlier reported lost or missing.

He added: "When this was discovered, it was decided to arrest Brown himself."

Edwards said Brown's bail conditions in other cases involving Fidentia and the Transport, Education and Training Authority (TETA), as well as the concerns Fundi and Infinity, had banned him from being at or near a airport.

This meant he had been unable to bid farewell to his wife and children at the airport.

Edwards said he understood Brown's anger and disappointment about not being able to accompany his wife and children to the airport.

Edwards said it was possible to have cancelled the warrant of arrest for Brown's wife, but Brown would then have had to accept total responsibility and plead guilty to all the charges.

The case continues.

Sapa