Lyndon Barends, MD of the National Horseracing Authority, says horse racing has no questions to answer in the case of owner Adriaan van Vuuren who has allegedly defrauded Telkom subsidiary Trudon of more than R500m, writes David Mollett. The High Court in Pretoria has reportedly granted an order freezing the bank accounts of Van Vuuren, employed by Trudon as an IT manager. Barends said on Thursday "it was near impossible to detect pro-actively" that illegal funds were being used. "In his [Van Vuuren’s] case, he was definitely deemed desirable as he was portrayed as an up-and-coming businessman who is investing in the sport." Barends said the intense scrutiny to which owners had been subjected in the past, had changed "over time to ensure the elitist tag can be removed". "Over the last decade or more, horse-racing stakeholders have made numerous efforts to be more inclusive and went out of its way to attract new owners to the sport."
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