Consumer media are reporting that a warrant has been issued for the arrest of Francois Swart, the Priority Escapes MD alleged to have left numerous clients out of pocket.
In a media statement circulated towards the end of last week, it was confirmed that SAPS has issued a J50 warrant of arrest for Swart after he reportedly left two complainants R130 000 out of pocket for a trip they booked that didn’t ever materialise. With the support of AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit, a formal criminal complaint has been brought against Swart.
“The suspect received full payment from the complainants for him to fulfil holiday arrangements on their behalf. The misrepresentation was furthered when the suspect issued documents purporting that the holiday was arranged and paid in full. It has since been confirmed that the documents the complainants received are false,” said Advocate Gerrie Nel, the head of AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit, in the media statement.
Media trip
Travel News spoke with a representative of a local company that assisted Priority Escapes with arranging an all-inclusive media experience to the Maldives last year. They said that they had no reason to believe there was anything amiss.
“It is hugely disappointing to learn that one of our past clients is the centre of such serious allegations. To the best of our knowledge, this was a reputable tour operator with many years of experience, and the only reason we stopped working with Francois is because he wanted to scale back on marketing, which was understandable. It will be very interesting to see how this all plays out in due course,” said a spokesperson.
Those with information on Swart’s whereabouts can contact SAPS or email AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit at onsvervolg@afriforum.co.za.
