Spira on R5000 bail

PROMINENT local businesswoman Beverley Spira has been arrested for an allegedly crooked diamond deal that left her former friends R250 000 out of pocket.
Spira is out on R5 000 bail after her appearance on fraud and theft charges in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in PE a fortnight ago.
The case has been postponed till July 17.
The charge sheet alleges Spira approached her close friends Bruno and Dianne Menin in 2007 to invest nearly R250 000 in a Congo diamond deal through her Close Corporation (CC). She allegedly presented an investment opportunity to the Menins that was “far more lucrative” than that offered by local banks.
“The accused allegedly explained to Di Menin that she was in a partnership with a certain Moleka who ran a diamond business from the Congo. The business operated under the name Of Moleka I N Zumela Diamond Corporation,” the charge sheet states.
It further states that Spira claimed to have a diamond trading license and would buy diamonds with money taken in from various investors.
She would then allegedly sell these diamonds to buyers from Belgium at a profit.
Spira assured the Menins that the business was legal and that it was a safe investment and promised them a R100 000 return over an eight month investment period, the charge sheet states.
They paid the money to Spira in September 2007 and Spira presented Menin with a “joint investment agreement” the following month.
Eight months later, no money was forthcoming as per the agreement.
Menin Confronted Spira and “was offered a lot of excuses” for her failure to perform.
All efforts to recover their investment were in vain.
Menin subsequently laid a charge with the police, accusing Spira of not using the money as per the agreement, but for her own benefit.
On June 11 Spira was arrested by members of the crack Special Commercial Investigating Unit on fraud charges.
Spira also faces alternative charges of theft.
“In the first three years we knew her she has never mentioned investments to us. In fact we did not even know that she was an investor till she showed us some papers from a firm in Namibia purporting that she was a qualified investor,” Bruno Menin said.
Spira is allegedly also not registered in South Africa as an investor, a requirement in terms of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA).
To protect investors' funds from money laundering activities all financial institutions and their investors must comply with FICA. - HENNIE MARAIS