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By Se-Anne Rall 
1 hour ago
DURBAN: Three people, allegedly found in possession of R61 million in gold bullion, have appeared in Kempton Park Magistrates Court and are due to return to court next week, where they are expected to submit a formal request for bail.
Police spokesman Colonel Athlenda Mathe said the defendants have been charged with illegal trafficking in precious metals and contravening the Customs Law.
Mathe said there is a possibility of money laundering and fraud charges being brought against the three defendants at a later stage.
The matter was postponed until January 12 for further investigation and a formal request for bond.
“While investigations continue, the Hawks through Interpol are in talks with the authorities in Madagascar, Dubai and Ethiopia to establish where this gold originates from and where it was destined to go,” said Mathe.
In previous reports, the SAPS said gold weighing 73.5 kg was found in hand luggage at OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA).
Mathe said that acting on information provided by security officials at the airport after a security scanner identified irregular images, a multidisciplinary team intercepted the trio at international arrivals terminals.
After questioning the suspects and conducting a more detailed inspection of their carry-on luggage, officials allegedly discovered the gold bars and some currency.
Both the gold bars and the currency had been seized for further investigation under the Customs and Excise Law and the Foreign Exchange Control Regulations.
The suspects had been detained and the matter had been taken over by the SAPS Organized Crime Unit for criminal investigations.
Investigations by the Priority Criminal Investigation Directorate (Hawks) were also being carried out with the assistance of Interpol and authorities from several countries, to determine the legitimacy of the certification documents allegedly provided by the men, and also to determine the country where gold was mined. . Investigations would also focus on the country to which the gold bars were destined.
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