Johannesburg - Tiso Blackstar Group’s senior journalist Ranjeni Munusamy has been mentioned at the Zondo commission as a recipient of a vehicle settlement payment which formed part of funds looted from the crime intelligence secret service account.
Hawks official Kobus Roelofse testified about Munusamy as part of his testimony relating to his investigation into the abuse of the crime intelligence secret service account.
Roelofse said during his investigation it was allegedly found that Munusamy’s vehicle car debt had been settled through the use of a car dealership’s business account and transferred to a WesBank finance account held under Munusamy’s name.
“The amount R143,621,78 was paid from the Atlantis business account to Wesbank finance account. The settlement agreement was registered under the name of Miss Ranjeni Munusamy, as far as I know, she is a journalist. The amount was debited on July 30 2008,” Roelofse testified.
It was pointed out during Roelofse’s testimony that the spelling of “Ranjeni” was wrong as indicated in the Hawk’s official’s statement. The version being corrected is “Navaranjeni” instead of Ranjeni.
In a statement on Wednesday, Tiso Blackstar deputy managing director Moshoeshoe Monare said Munusamy had been placed on special leave while she deals with the allegations.
Monare said the allegations against Munusamy were viewed as serious and an internal investigation by Sunday Times Editor Bongani Siqoko was under way.
At the time of the alleged transaction, Munusamy was not employed by Tiso.
“The company will make the final decision on this matter following the conclusion of its own internal investigation, taking into consideration the company’s interests and policies and Munusamy’s rights,” Monare said.