Johan heads the Corporate Investigations Practice at Bowmans.

He has more than 30 years’ experience in fraud prevention, detection and investigation. He has held a number of positions as the head of forensic investigation practices.

Johan leads large and complex forensic investigations and provides governance and compliance advice to large corporate and public service clients. He is a specialist in procurement and supply chain management and Regulatory Law and has conducted numerous investigations into Ponzi and Pyramid schemes and other financial fraud.

He has an LLM degree in Cyber Law and Human Rights.

Relevant Experience

He is recognised as one of the foremost specialists in the country for regulatory and compliance law and has been appointed by the SARB as a Temporary Inspector of Banks and Repayment Administrator to investigate a number of investment schemes, including a scheme known as Travel Ventures International. He regularly represents other Inspectors and Repayment Administrators in complex matters relating to Banking Supervision. He was included on the list of general legal advisors for the SARB and the Auditor-General of South Africa in July 2015 and August 2016 respectively for a period of four years.

Other appointments such as investigating large IT Procurement Fraud, (2016/ 2017) investigating misconduct within the leadership of the CoCT, (2017/ 2018) and supply chain management investigations for Eskom (2017/2018) demonstrate the market’s recognition of his ability.

He frequently represents clients in various types of arbitrations relating to white collar crime and acts as an arbitrator and chairperson in complex employment law or regulatory forums. He also has extensive experience in the investigation of fraud and corruption in other jurisdictions in Africa.

He has lectured part-time at three South African universities since 2004 and has developed a forensic auditing course for the University of South Africa (UNISA).

Johan currently assists the Financial Surveillance Department of the SARB with investigations into contraventions of the Exchange Control Regulations. His role includes:

• Investigating exchange control contraventions;
• Commercial / financial investigation;
• Forensic Accounting investigation;
• Banking industry;
• Asset tracing; and
• Financial statement fraud.

A selection of relevant clients include:

• Auditor-General of South Africa;
• Cell C Limited;
• Central Energy Fund (Pty) Limited;
• City of Cape Town;
• City Power Johannesburg (Pty) Limited;
• Companies and Intellectual Property Commission;
• Department of Water Affairs and Forestry;
• Eskom Holdings SOC Limited;
• National Treasury;
• State Information Technology Agency SOC Limited;
• The South African Reserve Bank; and
• The South African Revenue Services.

Professional Memberships

• Admitted attorney of the High Court of SA;
• Affiliate member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners South African Chapter; and
• Full member of the Institute of Commercial Forensic Practitioners.

Awards

• Chambers and Partners consistently ranked Johan in Band 1 for Corporate Investigations for the past six consecutive years (2016 to 2021).

‘Head of practice Johan Kruger is held in high regard for his counsel on high-profile fraud, corruption and mismanagement  investigations in the public and private sectors. Market commentators value his “strong leadership skills and excellent business acumen,” commenting that he is “highly respected by clients,” before citing his “great ability to manage comprehensive multidisciplinary teams to a common purpose.”‘ – Chambers and Partners, 2021

‘Johan Kruger heads the firm’s governance, compliance and investigations practice and is widely lauded as “one of the best forensic investigators in South Africa.” Sources state: “He’s technically excellent and does not shy away from making big decisions.” He has extensive experience conducting large-scale investigations into alleged fraud, corruption and money laundering.’ – Chambers and Partners, 2019

‘Johan Kruger is head of the firm’s governance, compliance and investigations practice. He is highly regarded for his work in significant forensic investigations and has an exceptional track record in matters relating to fraud prevention. Commentators laud his “very good reputation” and describe him as a “very good investigator.”‘– Chambers and Partners, 2018

‘Johan Kruger attracts praise for his excellent track record in large forensic investigations, with notable proficiency in fraud prevention and white-collar crime concerns. Market commentators recognise his “very good reputation” and describe him as “an excellent investigator.” ‘–Chambers and Partners 2017

‘Johan Kruger garners praise from sources for his expertise in white-collar crime and experience managing complex inquiries. Market observers say: “He is a very experienced practitioner, and is very much focused on achieving practical results.”‘ – Chambers and Partners 2016

• COVID-19: The perfect storm for cyber criminals