Hawks and NPA secure major forfeiture in Northern Cape diamond crime crackdown
The Northern Cape High Court in Kimberley has granted the Hawks’ Asset Forfeiture Investigation team, in collaboration with the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), a forfeiture order worth R1.6 million against Mahdi Aki, aged 51.
This followed a January 2024 search by Public Order Policing in Kleinzee, where they found two bags containing R1.6 million in cash and suspected uncut diamonds at a premises linked to Aki.
He could not account for the money, leading to further investigation by the Hawks and AFU. Aki was also charged with possession of drugs and bribery, convicted in the Upington Regional Court, and his sentencing is scheduled for May 28, 2025. The case is part of efforts to combat illicit diamond trade in the region.