Lebabon Prime Minister Gave R243 Million To A South African Bikini Model. Saad Hariri, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, issued over an estimate of R243 Million to a South African model, Candice van der Merwe, who reportedly stated that she had romantic relations with the Prime Minister.
Saad Hariri, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, issued over an estimate of R243 Million to a South African model, Candice van der Merwe, who reportedly stated that she had romantic relations with the Prime Minister. She reportedly stated that their relations started after they met at a resort in the Seychelles, according to South African Court files. Prime Minister Saad Hariri allegedly started giving her money in 2013.
The Prime Minister is a father of three and a husband. The payments are reportedly said to not have a clear link to the current economic struggles of Lebanon. The payments that Saad Hariri made to Candice van der Merwe were supposedly issued during his two terms as the Prime Minister of Lebanon, however, while he was the leader of the Future Movement, his political party. When he did his first transfer he was 43-years-old, he was also the head of family businesses.
The model was 20-years-old at the time, where she was a model for swimwear calendars and energy drink advertisements. Candice van der Merwe’s estimated yearly income was not above R83 000. In May 2013 that’s when her money increased because of an alleged bank transfer from a bank in Lebanon with an estimated amount of R243 Million. The bank transfer would have supposedly not been known if it wasn’t for the suspicions that the South African financial and tax authorities had because the large amount of money that was given to her, which was seen as taxable after examinations.
The model says the money she received was a gift, which is not taxable based on South African laws. In other court cases, she says that the money was given to her with no conditions, thereby naming the person who gave her the money as Hariri. Candice van der Merwe supposedly wrote an email to the Prime Minister with her banking details, so that the he could send her the money so she could supposedly buy property. “Love you my Saad,” says Candice van der Merwe in the email. The money was then reportedly sent to her bank after some time.
According to an affidavit that was referenced in the court files, Candice van der Merwe reportedly stated that she was enlisted at 19-years-old to go to a private resort at the Seychelles Island named ‘The Plantation Club’, which was mostly visited by the wealthiest private people in the globe, which involves billionaires. She then reportedly added that at the resort is normal for luxury paries and events to be hosted, where models were brought in to “lend a sense of glamour and exclusivity.” The model was at the resort for four days in 2012 and she linked with people she greeted there because of her lifestyle and characteristics. In reports, in 2013, she was called by a vehicle dealer to come fetch her dream car, an Audi R8 Spyder, after her own car was wrecked due to an accident.
The car was paid for and registered under her name, she also got two new mobile phones and a Land Rover Evoque. The two cars costed over an estimate of R4 million, the number was added to her tax bill. In 2015, her lawyers stated that the cars were given to her by the same Middle Eastern man who issued money to her. When the government asked about the estimated R243 million money that was sent to her, a bank representative stated that “the sender and beneficiary are boyfriend/girlfriend and are currently together in the Seychelles.” The model purchased properties that were over an estimate of R153 million, one is from the expensive Fresnaye area in Cape Town that had an outdoor pool and a view of the ocean.
She then also borrowed an estimate of R41 million to real estate organisation that was linked to her father. She reportedly also had other arrangements with some of her money, which left her with an estimate of R8 million. The tax authorities reportedly believed that the money was not a gift to her but suspected the money was meant for her dad, Gary van der Merwe. The father had allegedly been in multiple court battles with the tax authorities for his business. The authorities froze the model’s assets and levied income, they had a curator who would watch them until the case was settled. The court files reportedly state that the Prime Minister then issued an estimate of R15 million towards Cadice van der Merwe’s legal proceedings, along with her living costs.
She reached a conclusion with the tax authorities in 2016, in which she appealed in 2018. The case was dismissed in September 2019. The publicity of the Prime Minister’s involvement in the matter was publicised in 2019 after the model sued the government in January for an estimate of R996 million for the damages that she ensued due to the tax authorities’ chase. She states that she had to sell her house because the freezing of assets didn’t allow her to maintain payment for the house, she also goes on to say that the court case and the publicity messed up her career and messed up the connection she has with the Prime Minister.
by Alexandra Ramaite
