MARKUS JOOSTE COMMITTED SUICIDE
Disgraced former Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste shot and killed himself on Thursday.
The incident took place in Hermanus.
It’s believed he committed suicide a day before he was meant to hand himself over to the Hawks on Friday along with Steinhoff’s former company secretary and head of legal Stehan Grobler.
News24 reports that on Thursday, Jooste told his wife he was going out for a walk. She left to play a round of golf in the meantime. It was during his walk that Jooste killed himself.
Local police confirmed that Jooste was still alive when he was found with a gunshot to his head on a beach in the Western Cape seaside town.
“He was still alive at the time; he was transported to the hospital, and he succumbed a few minutes after his arrival at the hospital. No foul play is suspected at this time.”
On Wednesday, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) fined Jooste R475 million. The FSCA’s investigation proved that he, along with Steinhoff’s former European head of finance, Dirk Schreiber, published deceptive statements about Steinhoff International’s financials between 2014 and 2017.
Image credit: Reuters