'Spying, sabotage, bribes': The time to probe tobacco claims is now - Johann van Loggerenberg

Former South African Revenue Service (SARS) executive Johann van Loggerenberg says a recent BBC report about British American Tobacco (BAT) allegedly sabotaging and spying on rivals in southern Africa was "independent confirmation" of what he had long been saying about corruption and state capture in the local tobacco industry for years. According to the BBC, the tobacco giant allegedly used illegal surveillance in an attempt to "damage rivals", work it outsourced to a South African company called Forensic Security Services (FSS). Van Loggerenberg, who was formerly in charge of the revenue agency's high-risk investigation unit, said the BBC reportage was reason enough - if any more were needed - for South African authorities to seriously investigate the country's tobacco industry and possible links to state capture. He spoke to Fin24's Jan Cronje.