Johannesburg – The South African government and Jacob Zuma have been caught in the middle of an international wrangle over as much as R2 trillion in US dollars as well as hundreds of tons of gold and at least six million carats of diamonds in assets belonging to the people of Libya.
Most of the assets were taken out of Libya when Jacob Zuma got invoved in an African Union process to persuade former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi to step down after an uprising to force him out of office began in February 2011.
What could be the world’s largest cash pile is stored in palettes at seven heavily guarded warehouses and bunkers in secret locations between Johannesburg and Pretoria.
The Libyan billions have led to a Hawks investigation into possible violation of exchange controls as well as international interests from the UN and the US.
It has also led to heightened interest in the local and international intelligence community as well as the criminal underworld.
Those interested in the Libyan loot include several high-ranking ANC politicians, several business leaders, a former high court judge and a number of private companies.
The R2-trillion held in warehouses is separate from several other billions, believed to be in excess of R260 billion, held legally in four banks in South Africa.
Other legal assets include hotels in Joburg and Cape Town.
The Sunday Independent has seen official South African government documents which confirm that at least $179bn in US dollars is kept, illegally, in storage facilities across Gauteng…
South Africa Today
