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ABOUT US
ABOUT OUR FORENSIC BUSINESS
FORENSIC LINES THAT DEFINE US
In recent years, there has been an alarming rise in unscrupulous practices, such as fraud, theft, bribery, corruption, and money laundering, amongst other crimes of dishonesty in the South African governmental and private sectors. With this, there has been an increased need for specialist skills in combatting these crimes of dishonesty.
In addition, there has been a drastic rise in the likes of cyber-crime and cyber-terrorism with the most recent industrial revolution (i.e. the technological revolution), which requires specialist forensic information technology skills in order to combat these cyber-related crimes.
Schindlers Forensics consists of a highly-qualified professional team ranging from attorneys, consultants, information technology practitioners to auditors and we outsource any further services which our clients may require.
Schindlers Forensics not only provides forensic investigation services, but also training and consulting services which range from due diligence to fraud and corruption risk management, with a view to ensuring that our clients’ employees and associates are equipped to identify, prevent and address unscrupulous practices. More importantly, we equip clients to know when it is necessary to call in the professionals.
At Schindlers Forensics, our information technology practitioners work side-by-side with our attorneys and consultants, using an integrated approach, to bring about faster results with a higher degree of accuracy while allowing our resources to add extra value to our clients.
We understand that in this ever-evolving world there is a need for tailored solutions, and we provide a one-stop-shop to resolve our clients’ matters in an efficient and holistic manner to yield greater results.
DAVID LOXTON
CEO
David Loxton began his career as a state prosecutor, working in both Cape Town and Pretoria and gaining experience prosecuting a wide range of street crimes, including murder, rape, robbery, drug-related crimes, corruption, forgery and theft. David then moved on to work as in-house counsel at a major listed entity, before returning to private practice.
He has advised across all sectors of industry, as well as state-owned enterprises and government departments, in matters of governance, regulation, employment, litigation, corporate crime prevention and investigation. He has generally been instructed by Group Counsel, CEOs or boards as well as heads of departments and senior officials within government. He has also acted as an advisor on highly sensitive issues involving fraud and corruption, and has guided clients through risk mitigation and civil recovery as well as on disciplinary proceedings against implicated employees and individuals.
David has been actively involved in assisting law enforcement agencies with criminal aspects stemming from investigations undertaken both nationally and internationally, and has headed up various teams investigating complex cross-border cyber-crime matters. His extensive experience means that he is an authority on several areas of the law, making him a highly sought and often-quoted source for media seeking an expert opinion on economic crimes, compliance and regulation, and cyber-crime.
David is a member of the local and USA chapters of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). He is also a member of the Institute of Forensic Practitioners (ICFP) and the Law Societies of the Northern Province and Western Cape. He is currently serving as honorary patron of the CGF Research Institute of South Africa and is widely recognised as a leader in the field by independent agencies such as Chambers & Co.
EXPERIENCED FORENSIC CONSULTANTS
Our Schindlers Forensics team is led by our Chief Executive Officer, Israel Noko, who is supported by the highly-qualified and experienced attorneys, information technology practitioners, developers, auditors and tax practitioners (to mention a few).
ISRAEL NOKO
Non-Executive Chairman
Israel Noko (“Israel”) studied Law & Social Sciences Diploma at the University of Warwick and a LL.B in Business Law at Coventry University, UK, and subsequently completed three law Post-Graduate Certificates with the University of the Witwatersrand.
He started his career as a legal practitioner and, through practice, discovered that he wanted to combine his various interests and skill sets. One of his notable interests is developing and executing strategies which would enable companies to better position themselves in the market and develop partnerships with companies and organizations that want to implement “business sense” transformational strategies.
He has been a member of a variety of Boards and he has played a strategic role in different Risk & Audit committees which require exercising the highest level of corporate governance.
Israel is also the founder of NPI Capital Partners, a private equity fund manager which manages an investment fund in partnership with RMB Corvest. As a critical member of the NPI Investment Committee, he ensures that all relevant and thorough due diligences are done to ensure a return on investment for shareholders and ensure that the its investment policy is adhered to.
Israel has also been involved in various mergers and acquisitions other general corporate/commercial transactions. He has also advised on BEE joint-venture structure, company formations and re-organisations. Israel has extensive experience in business entity formation and governance matters, M&A, and BEE financing transactions in a wide variety of sectors.
He is a dynamic leader and has a unique way of developing out-of-the-box strategies to obtain the desired results in every project that he sets his mind to.
DAVID HEPBURN
DIRECTOR
David is a Director of Schindler’s Forensics Ai, numerous Trusts, as well as a Senior Partner at Schindlers Attorneys. He is an admitted attorney of the High Court of School Africa and a member of South African Institute of Tax Practitioners as well as a member of the South African Legal Practice Council.
David is registered as a tax practitioner and has extensive experience in the South African commercial and regulatory environments, commercial litigation and in the negotiation. He has experience in drafting of a wide range of corporate and commercial transactions.
David specialises in all aspects of commercial law including, but not limited to:
- Tax;
- Exchange control;
- Insurance;
- Broad-based black economic empowerment, estate planning;
- Business rescue;
- Insolvency;
- Dispute resolution;
- Corporate governance;
- Organisational/corporate restructuring, intellectual property;
- Estates and trusts;
- Commercial litigation and labour.
CHRIS BESTER
FINANCIAL DIRECTOR
Chris is a qualified Chartered Accountant (CA) with a Commercial focus and has spent the past 21 years in various senior financial management and management consulting positions with a strong focus on Information and Telecommunications sectors.
As a Management Consultant Chris has broadened his exposure within numerous industries including logistics, pharmaceuticals, engineering and mining services. Chris is actively involved in numerous start-up businesses guiding the development of business processes, procedures and structures. Expertise and experience includes:
- Extensive experience in the setting of accounting teams, controls and processes.
- Wide-ranging multi-industry experience – from setup to developing processes to fundraising.
- Analytically-minded with a firm grasp of how various inter-departmental processes fit together.
- Master data analysis and clean-up, specifically in the pharmaceutical industry.
- Practical hands-on experience has allowed Chris to develop a strong sense of potential break down in controls and procedures.
- Managing multi-disciplinary teams with an ability to quickly assimilate information and processes.
MAURICE CRESPI
CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER
Maurice studied a BA LLB at Rhodes and HDip company Law at Wits. Currently deep learning Machine Learning at Stanford University, Unity Development at UC San Diego, Crypto/Blockchain at Princeton and Mixed Reality at the University of London.
Maurice joined Schindlers Attorneys in October 1997 and became a partner of the firm in December 1998. Maurice is an experienced legal practitioner with a sound knowledge of South African commercial, property, labour, tax and corporate law. He is a highly experienced and established litigation attorney with several reported judgments in both the Supreme Court of Appeal and Constitutional Court.
Maurice heads a team of 18 professionals at Schindlers Attorneys and is the Chief Executive Officer of Schindlers innovations. He regularly provides guidance to boards of companies, both public and private, and he gives lectures on recent developments in commercial law. He is also a qualified Court-Aligned and Commercial Mediator.
INVESTIGATION EXPERIENCE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
- Advice on the legislative framework
- Case studies on fraud and corruption
- The red flags of fraud and corruption
- “Know your Customer” requirements
- Assessment of internal risks
- Formulation of bespoke strategies to assist in the prevention and detection of white-collar crimes
- Drafting and implementation of policies and procedures to minimise the risk of white-collar crimes
- Dipstick analysis of the fraud and ethics climate within organisations
- Customised fraud awareness training
- Advice regarding anti-money laundering compliance
- Advice regarding reporting requirements as contained in various pieces of legislation
- Advice on legislative and regulatory requirements
- Investigations into regulatory and policy breaches
- Advice on the UK Bribery Act and USA Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (where necessary, we obtain additional guidance from subject matter experts in these jurisdictions)
- Development of Corporate Governance Frameworks®
- Advice regarding internal codes of conduct
- Guide directors regarding fiduciary duties and compliance with the King
Codes, as well as legislation and regulation.
- We ensure that each of our engagements is led by an admitted attorney. As a small firm we can offer a personalised service and, as such, are able to create teams of specialists that meet the requirements of specific mandates within short turnaround times.
- Because engagements are led by attorneys, legal professional privilege will generally apply to protect our clients. Please note that this is not guaranteed as each mandate is different.
- Drafting of supply chain management policies and compliance assurance.
- Public procurement compliance audits of tender processes.
- Due diligence: we have access to numerous statutory and proprietary databases and can undertake detailed background conflict searches.
- Detailed written legal advice and opinions on all matters relating to governance, compliance and investigations.
Our expertise further extends to:
- Risk of corporate criminal liability
- Corporate governance and internal control issues
- The implications of commercial arrangements entered into between parties
- Regulatory and white-collar crime implications of commercial terms and agreements
- Sanctions
- Foreign corrupt payment issues
- The regulatory enforcement environment in South Africa and other African jurisdictions.
- We assist in gathering the facts and compiling evidence to present to various tribunals.
- We assist in disciplinary proceedings, including the formulation of “charge sheets” and the initiation of the enquiry.
- We advise on civil recoveries.
- Preservation and tracing of assets, including Anton Piller orders, the freezing of bank accounts and the like.
- We liaise with and assist law enforcement agencies.
- We manage watching briefs in criminal trials.
- We are able to facilitate national and international investigations at short notice.
- Transcription services.
- Forensic data analytics.
- Computer forensic services, electronic discovery and cyber-crime.
- Imaging of computers and devices.
- Data recovery.
- We guide clients’ overall business strategy to ensure it falls within the ambit of a proper Corporate Governance Framework®.
- We advise clients on risks and strategies to accommodate and adapt to the fast-changing business environment ushered in by the Fourth Industrial revolution environment. Where necessary, we involve appropriate experts in various fields.
- We assist with “know your customer” requirements.
- We assist with the vetting of suppliers and employees
