Fraudster Jurgen Harksen dies in Germany

German fraudster Jurgen Harksen, who was extradited from SA several years ago, has died, reports News24. Harksen swindled investors out of millions and used the funds to live a lavish lifestyle in Cape Town before his arrest. According to the German publication Der Spiegel, the 63-year-old’s death was confirmed by his lawyer, Gerhard Strate, on Wednesday. In 2003, Harksen was sentenced to several years in prison in Hamburg for fraud. Prior to his arrest and sentencing, he had fled to SA, where he managed to evade justice for almost a decade. He consented to return to Germany in 2002, after a protracted battle against his extradition. He was accused of defrauding at least 70 people out of $17.1m in an investment scam. Harksen was also at the centre of a DA scandal. Former provincial leader Gerald Morkel was investigated after allegations that he had accepted donations from Harksen. Harksen told the Desai Commission, which was set up to probe the donation, that he had channelled more than R52 000 to the party through Morkel and former Finance MEC Leon Markovitz. Morkel, who died in 2018, denied that he had taken money from Harksen.

Full News24 report