The money trail to the alleged middleman of murder-accused Nafiz Modack took centre stage at the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday, as defence teams continued to cross-examine Hawks detectives.
Explanations given by Modack’s co-accused, Ziyaad Poole and his family came under scrutiny as the detective laid out his bank statements, saying Poole was paid via a bank account allegedly used for money laundering.
The accused face a slew of charges related to the murder of Anti-Gang Unit detective Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear.
Poole, 31, was outed as Modack’s alleged middleman during earlier testimonies, as the State claimed he acted on behalf of Modack for underhanded dealings.
Captain Edward du Plessis from the National Task Team told the court this week that the bail application by Zane Kilian shone a light on Poole’s involvement, stating that on the day Kinnear was shot and killed, Poole allegedly called Kilian and instructed him to destroy his phone.
Bank records shown to the court revealed that Poole later received a R5000 from the Empire Investments account, which was labelled as “commission”.
Poole’s legal representative, Advocate Nazeer Parkar, told the court that according to his client, he had no idea Modack was paying him.
Parkar said Poole met a man named Andre Fabian and was subsequently employed as his driver and first met Modack during a meeting in Plattekloof and was impressed with the private security.
Poole then pursued a career in private security and started working for ASP Elite Protection Services and was assigned to guard Modack as an “elite client”.
After a raid at ASP, he was subsequently sub-contracted to work for Tyte Security but claimed he never knew he was being paid by Empire Investments.
Judge Robert Henney questioned how this was possible and whether or not he ever received a payslip with deductions for UIF, tax or a pension fund.
Du Plessis also highlighted the call between Poole and Kilian saying he believed Poole was paid after placing the call to instruct Kilian to destroy his phone and possible digital evidence.
The cop said his suspicions were confirmed as evidence showed that 10 minutes after Poole received a R5000 payment, Kilian placed his sim card in a new device.
Parkar vehemently denied that Poole placed the call and said he would cross-examine Kilian on his claims if and when he took the stand in the trial.
Parkar further stated that Poole is not charged with the murder of Kinnear.
The trial continues.