A well-known Cape Town immigration lawyer, Craig Smith (49), was arrested on Monday for alleged corruption, money laundering, racketeering and fraud.
Smith was arrested with his wife Cornelia Alexa Smith (49) and his employee Shafieka Salie (51). The three are accused of running an enterprise in Smith legal practice, Craig Smith and Associates (CSA) between October 2011 and July 2014.
The company’s core business is to assist foreign nationals in securing temporary or permanent residency in South Africa through the Department of Home Affairs. It is alleged that the staff prepared such applications using forged documentation and false information in the process which aided the applicants to get required documentation and employment.
Investigations into the Smith alleged misrepresentation started three years ago (2015) by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation.
On Tuesday, the three were taken to court and Cornelia Smith was released on R1million bail of which R100 000 is payable in 72 hours whilst Salie’s bail was set at R1, 000
Craig Smith is still in custody and is expected to apply for bail this coming Friday. The other two are expected back in court on 24 May 2019.
