POLICE have moved to seize a $1.5 million mansion in Melbourne’s southeast
From
the family of a former South Sudanese general linked to the nation’s military
elite which fleeced millions of dollars from the war-torn country.
The
Australian Federal Police took the case against General James Hoth Mai Nguoth,
and several members of his family, to the County Court of Victoria on Tuesday
as it pushes ahead with proceeds of crime restraint.
It is
targeting the luxury Narre Warren home, which has an infinity pool, sauna and
five-car garage, as well as an Audi owned by the family.
Gen
Hoth Mai’s family bought the sprawling property in 2014 when his wife and
children were living in taxpayer-funded housing commission accommodation.
Investigators
from the AFP’s Criminal Assets Confiscation Task force (CACT) launched a probe
into the purchase of the property in September 2016 following allegations that
several former and current South Sudanese public officials have bought houses
in Australia with the proceeds of corruption.
General James Hoth Mai’s family bought the sprawling Narre Warren property in
2014 when his wife and children were living in
Gen
Hoth Mai was named in a 2016 report compiled by The Sentry, a team of
investigators targeting those who profit from genocide in Africa co-founded by
actor George Clooney.
Gen
Hoth Mai served as the chief of staff in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army from
May 2009 to April 2014.
Before
that he was the deputy chief of staff for logistics.
Investigators
understand his biggest salary was no more than $58,000.
J.R.
Bailey, Investigations Director at The Sentry, said the group found information
regarding the General’s purchase of the Narre Warren house in 2016.
“Gen
Hoth Mai is a well-known military commander in South Sudan,” Mr Bailey said.
“We
discovered his purchase of the Melbourne home during a 2016 investigation into
the assets accrued by senior South Sudanese military and government officials.
“The
Sentry found Hoth Mai’s purchase of the Melbourne home to be noteworthy — and
worthy of additional scrutiny — for several reasons.”
General James Hoth Mai was named in
a 2016 report compiled by The Sentry, a team of investigators co-founded by
actor George Clooney. Picture: Rich Polk/Getty
The
Sentry report accuses senior officials on relatively low salaries in South
Sudan of profiteering from the country’s civil war.
“First,
the cost of the home far surpassed what one could reasonable afford on the
salary of a general of Hoth Mai’s rank,” Mr Bailey said.
“Second,
the Hoth Mai family had purchased the home shortly after having resided in
subsidised housing, a major sudden change in the family’s lifestyle.
“Finally,
the home was purchased in the name of Hoth Mai’s son, who had only recently
graduated from college.
“We considered
this a possible attempt to obfuscate the General’s connection to the purchase.
Taken as a whole, the circumstances of the transaction, we found, merit more
scrutiny from relevant law enforcement and regulatory authorities.”
Shortly
after The Sentry published its report — War
Crimes Shouldn’t Pay: Stopping the looting and destruction in South Sudan —
the AFP launched a probe with help from the Australian Criminal Intelligence
Investigators
visited the Narre Warren property in August 2016 and saw a BMW 316i, used by
one of Gen Hoth Mai’s daughters, in the driveway.
An AFP
spokeswoman said: “The investigation, which included assistance from the ACIC,
focused on the acquisition of assets in Australia by the family members of an
individual who is believed to have held senior positions including chief of
staff in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army between May 2009 and April 2014.”
The
General and his family did not appear at the County of Court of Victoria on
Tuesday when the AFP’s criminal assets confiscation and proceeds of crime matter
was heard. The case, before Judge Susan Cohen, was adjourned for three weeks.
Clooney,
writing in The Sentry’s 2016 report, said the organisation’s investigators
spent two years “following the money underwriting South Sudan’s war economy”.
“The
Sentry’s investigation has generated substantial information indicating that
top officials ultimately responsible for mass atrocities in South Sudan have at
some time managed to accumulate fortunes, despite modest government salaries,”
Clooney said.
The
original sale documents for the Narre Warren property lists the general’s wife,
Nyawarga Hoth Mai, as the buyer.
The luxury Narre Warren home has an
infinity pool. Picture: Supplied
The
documents were then altered on the day the sale went through in August 2014 and
buyer was listed as the general’s son, Nguoth Oth Mai, an Australian citizen.
Barrister
Simon McGregor, for the General’s family, declined to comment.
The
AFP’s legal proceedings are a civil matter under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The
alleged offences are breach of directors’ duties, causing a loss to the
Commonwealth and obtaining a gain from the Commonwealth. Criminal charges have
not been laid against the General or his family.
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