By Marcus Moloko
KwaZulu-Natal businessman and convicted carjacker Stuart James Scharnick has been linked to 29 criminal cases, including hijackings and motor vehicle theft.
This was revealed by the KwaZulu-Natal police during a media briefing to address comments recently made by the businessman.
Speaking at the provincial police headquarters in Durban, Acting Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Crime Detection, Major General Anthony Gopaul, provided a detailed breakdown of the cases in which Scharnick is a subject of investigation.
“In KwaZulu-Natal, he was the subject of an investigation where he was an alleged suspect in a particular matter. We have perused every one of those cases. We’ve been through every single document and every single case file,” said Gopaul.
Gopaul outlined how police looked at 29 case dockets linked to Scharnick.
“You [media] have been listening to a version of eighteen counts on one case. I’m going to show you a picture of unpacking 29 cases against this particular individual in the province of KZN,” he said.
He further indicated that ten of 29 documents were part of the plea and where related to theft of motor vehicles.
“Eight of 29 cases were cases of carjacking. This brought the total to eighteen cases,” he added, where “Mr. Stuart talks about eighteen counts in one case. There are eighteen case dockets, [with]a combination of hijackings and theft of motor vehicles,” he said.
“We do not see how it [eighteen cases] ended up being centralized, but it became centralized within the Directorate of Priority Investigations.”
Gopaul highlighted several cases linked to Scharnick:
- Carjackings in Chatsworth
- A carjacking in Westville,
- A theft of a motor vehicle and carjackings in Newlands East and Sidnum.
There was also a case of theft of a motor vehicle in Durban North and a theft of a motor vehicle in Hillcrest, both linking Scharnick.
“The court will better explain the processes on how they accepted this [Scharnick’s] plea. All these serious crimes to the fine that he paid – of over R 5000,” he said.
Gopaul maintained there were eighteen dockets that appeared syndicated.
He said in the majority of cases, Stuart facilitated sales.
“There is a lot of compelling evidence in the docket that suggests a lot more than what the plea was made to be,” said Gopaul.
He said the NPA would have to comment on how they arrived at Scharnik’s plea.
Gopaul further revealed that in January this year, one of their employees deleted Scharnick’s criminal records from the system.
However, unbeknown to the employee, the records remained on the system’s back end, triggering a forensic probe.
Gopaul confirmed that an investigation is now underway to determine whether the employee acted independently or under instruction.
Despite his criminal record, Scharnick is also said to own five firearms: two rifles, a .338 rifle, a handgun, and a shotgun
As police in KZN unveil details around the businessman, who was linked to suspended deputy police commissioner Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya during the Madlanga Commission, Scharnick has opened a fraud and defamation of character case against Crime Intelligence boss Lieutenant General Dumisani Khumalo.
Scharnick, the self-confessed associate of Sibiya, opened the case at the Pretoria Central police station on Wednesday after Khumalo implicated him during his testimony at the Madlanga Commission.
In interviews with the media after opening the case, Scharnick said Khumalo’s testimony had caused irreparable damage to him, his business, and his family.
“His testimony has caused irreparable damage to myself, my family and business, leaving our lives in danger because of mere association and speculation linking me to cartels and that I am a serial hijacker. I have never been convicted of hijacking,” Scharnick told the media.
He has accused Khumalo of fabricating information.
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