Someone sent me this reference from the visdorpy down South, which frankly is a bit off my radar screen.
Seems a bit cheap for a LJ24, R10,950 per hour
There there is Burwise receiving R27,000 for R1.18 defrauded from the S.A. Navy - Pretty miserable percentage backhander for giving Moer Rat R1.18 of the SA Navy's loot and our tax money at that.
NAVY WARRANT OFFICER GETS SIX YEARS SUSPENDED FOR PART IN R1.18 FRAUD
By Fatima Schroeder
A warrant officer in the South African Navy has been sentenced to six years, wholly suspended, for helping Interlink Airlines and its CEO defraud the navy of R1.18 million. Leon Burwise yesterday pleaded guilty to several charges of fraud and corruption before Regional Magistrate Awie Kotze.
Kotze said he was hesitant to impose a suspended sentence, but said the fact that Burwise's guilty plea would assist the state in prosecuting Interlink and its CEO, Murad Allie Ismail, was a mitigating factor which counted in his favour. He said the state would not have been able to prosecute anyone else for the corruption if Burwise did not co-operate. He was also a first offender and showed remorse for his actions, Kotze said.
The fraud and corruption case against Ismail and Interlink is still pending and the trial is set down for March next year.
Burwise, now 48, is to testify for the state. Interlink had been awarded a navy contract for the rental of a high speed tracking aircraft - a Learjet 24DxR - at a rate of R10 950 an hour.
In his plea statement, Burwise - who dealt with civil aircraft hire contracts in the navy and verified claims lodged by Interlink - admitted that Interlink had submitted invoices to him in which the number of hours specified had been increased.
He admitted that he certified the invoices to be correct and personally received R27 000 for his efforts. Interlink over-billed the navy by 112 hours, estimated to have a value of R1.18m. The court accepted Burwise's guilty plea and sentenced him to four years in prison, wholly suspended for four years on condition that he was not convicted of similar offences during that period.
He received a further two- years, suspended, on condition that he testified against Ismail and Interlink and that he did not deviate from his statement "without good cause shown".
Burwise is still in the navy.
Published in the Cape Times on August 25, 2005.