Convicted murderer Najwa Petersen is facing another investigation - this time for allegedly defrauding her insurers when she lodged a claim for items "stolen" during the December 2006 bogus robbery, that ended in the death of her husband Taliep Petersen. According to sources, Petersen received a R35 000 payout from Zurich Insurance after she lodged a claim for items the hitmen stole from the house in Grasmere Street, Athlone, the night the murder took place.
No formal charges have been laid, but Petersen's attorney, Reaz Khan, confirmed an investigation was pending. Khan represented Petersen during her murder trial. Petersen's son, Suleiman Effendi, was also aware of the investigation, but he questioned the police's motives in pursuing his mother a second time when she had already been sentenced to 28 years behind bars for the murder "There is definitely a group of people behind this," he said.
Effendi said Superintendent Joash Dryden, who investigated the murder, had visited Petersen about the issue. He also questioned Dryden's involvement. Effendi defended his mother, saying that she was entitled to lodge an insurance claim because the items had been stolen and were no longer in her possession. "Whether she arranged it (the robbery) or not, I have no idea. That is between her and whoever... "The stuff was taken. Waheed Hassen (the hitman) said that he took the stuff and threw it out of the window of the car," he said. "If it's the money that they (the insurance company) want, then I will give it to them. I don't know where I will get it, but I don't want to go to court again. It's upsetting." Zurich Insurance confirmed that Petersen was a client.
In December 2007, Petersen was convicted of masterminding her husband's murder by offering money to Fahiem Hendricks to arrange the hit on her behalf. During the trial, Hendricks testified on behalf of the State, and said that he had approached Abdoer Raasiet Emjedi, who recruited Hassen. The internationally-renowned entertainer was shot in the neck at his home on the night of December 16, 2006. Hassen initially denied any involvement, but later spilled the beans and fingered Petersen as orchestrating the murder.
In February last year Petersen was sentenced to an effective 28 years in jail for Taliep Petersen's murder, while Hassen was sentenced to an effective 25 years for his role as hitman. Emjedi, who recruited Hassen, was sentenced to 24 years behind bars. Petersen and Emjedi were unsuccessful in their attempts to appeal their convictions.
A third man, Jefferson Snyders, was sentenced to seven years for robbery after the court acquitted him of the murder.
Petersen is serving her sentence at a female prison facility in Worcester.
Source: IoL
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