Namibia’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has finally seized fruit merchant Shamil Dirk, over allegations that he paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to evade duty on trucks delivering fruit.

According to African press reports, this scheme dates back to 2001, and by the time it was unearthed earlier this year, 33-year-old Dirk’s company, Dirk Fruit, had reportedly paid bribes exceeding N$769,200 (£55,000) to customs chief Stephanus Owoseb, now suspended, at the Noordoewer border post. Owoseb’s case is now pending before court on June 29.

ACC director Paulus Noa commented: “Obviously this is bribery, because Dirk has been depositing money into the account of a small child of someone working at Noordower. Dirk was arrested in Windhoek.”

Noa could not rule out the possibility of more suspects being arrested on charges related to this white-collar crime, the largest of its kind. “We have piles of documents from the bank and other crucial information that we need. So I can say we have made advanced progress on this case,” he added.