South African Football Association (SAFA) president Danny Jordaan appeared at the Specialized Commercial Offenses Court in Palm Ridge on Wednesday to answer charges of fraud and theft.
Danny Jordaan at a 2009 forum in Cape Town. Wikipedia photo
According to the international media, the prosecutors accuse him of having used the money of the sports forum in personal interest.
Danny Jordaan, 73, was joined by former SAFA finance director Gronnie Hluyo, 55, and businessman Trevor Neethling, 46, all three accused in the same case of fraud and theft. The court appearance of the three followed their arrest in the early hours of Wednesday morning in Johannesburg by the Serious Commercial Crime Unit.
Prosecutors’ allegations suggest Jordaan embezzled SAFA funds for personal purposes, including hiring a private security firm and hiring a public relations company without the approval of the Safa board.
“Jordaan allegedly hired Grit Communications to protect his personal image in the future rape charges filed against him in 2017. In addition, he allegedly purchased security services worth over R40,000 (around €2,000), purportedly for SAFA from Badger Security, during the 2018 SAFA elective congress, while that these protective services would have been provided exclusively to him”, the prosecutors said.
All three accused were, however, released in exchange for a bail of 20,000 R each (a little over 1,000 euros), with the observance of strict conditions.
Danny Jordaan has been allowed to keep his passport as part of a conditional agreement which requires the court to be notified before any travel. If Danny Jordaan’s position at SAFA changes, the court said his travel restrictions could be reassessed.
Hluyo and Neethling were ordered to surrender their passports and were prohibited from contacting witnesses. Other provisions for Hluyo and Neethling include notifying the court of any need to travel outside South Africa and keeping their addresses verified.
