National Police spokesman Peter Kalaya has told Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) that following a joint operation conducted by the Fiscal Police and Financial International Authority (FIA), Steenkamp was arrested together with Edward Phambala.
…Willem Steenkamp established Bilderberg Limited under the name Dr. William Bilderberg.
…Justice Kenan Manda ordered EcoBank to release fugitive’s funds
Court documents have revealed that the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) allowed Willem Steenkamp, a notorious South African fugitive facing fraud and money laundering charges, to invest $20 million (approximately K22 billion) in Malawi.
The documents show that Malawi issued Steenkamp, who was using the alias Dr. William Bilderberg, a Malawian passport with the number MWA097282, despite his Interpol status.
Malawian detectives found Bilderberg with fake travel documents and IDs suspected to have been illegally obtained. The fugitive together with Phambala face forgery, uttering false documents, and money laundering charges.
He has since appealed for bail following a court appearance on Wednesday last week and Chief Resident Magistrate Chisomo Msokera is expected to make a ruling on the application on Monday next week.
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.
In the Rainbow Nation, he is accused of running a Ponzi Scheme. Together with Jacobus Johannes Christoffel Du Toit, 51, Steenkamp aged 50 ran Wurban Bank Group and Wurban Sovereign Trust through which they took money from investors after promising investors massive returns but later run away.
In Malawi, Steenkamp posed as an investor and managed to obtain a Malawian passport on September 26, 2022.
“[He] was welcomed to the country by the Malawi Government in October 2022 through the Office of the President and Cabinet to invest in Malawi. Bilderberg Limited was incorporated in Malawi on October 12, 2022,” PIJ reported.
However, in August this year, he raised suspicions when he wired $20 million from Forex Plus Australia to his account held at Ecobank Malawi. The Malawian bank froze the account.
PIJ 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 $20 million.
High Court Judge Kenan Manda granted the injunction allowing Steenkamp to access the money. However, the FIA ordered Ecobank to ignore the court order, as they had evidence suggesting that Bilderberg was wanted South African fugitive Steenkamp.
Meanwhile, following the arrest, Police spokesperson Kalaya has said police have informed Interpol about the recent developments.
“Our detectives are still on the case, and we believe more suspects connected to the case will be arrested,” Kalaya added.
