STRICTLY PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL
Ms Maraya Taraba
Pretoria
South Africa.
1st June 2003.
Email: marayataraba2@excite.comSir,
It is my great pleasure to write you this letter on behalf of my colleagues. Your information were given to me by a member of the South African Export Promotion Council (SAEPC) who was with the Government delegation on a trip to your Country during a bilateral conference talk to encourage foreign investors. I have decided to seek a confidential co-operation with you in execution of a deal hereunder for the benefit of all parties, and hope you will keep it confidential because of the nature of this business.
Within the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources where I work as a Director of Project a Implementation, and with co-operation of four other top officials, we have in our possession, an overdue payment in US funds. The said funds represent certain percentage of the contract value executed on behalf of my Ministry by a foreign contracting firm, which we the officials over-invoiced to the amount of US$70, 000,000.00 ( Seventy Million,United States Dollars). Though the actual contract cost has been paid to the original contractor, leaving the excess balance unclaimed.
Since the present elected Government is determined to pay foreign contractors all debts owed, so as to maintain good relations with foreign governments and non-governmental financial agencies. As a result we included ours bills for approvals with the co-operation of some officials at the Department of Finance and the Reserve Bank of South Africa (RBSA). We are seeking your assistance as the beneficiary of the unclaimed funds, since we are not allowed to operate a foreign account. since we are not allowed to operate a foreign account. I have the authority of my colleagues involved to propose that, should you be willing to assist us in this transaction your share as compensation will be 20% while my colleagues and I receive 70%, and the balance of 10% for taxes and miscellaneous expenses incurred.
It does not matter whether or not your company does contract projects of the nature described here. The assumption is that your company won the major contract and subcontracted it to other companies. More often than not, big trading companies and firms of unrelated fields wins major contracts and subcontract to more specialized firms for execution.
I have reposed my confidence in you and hope that you will not disappoint me. Endeavor to contact me immediately through my above USA efax number or my e-mail address, to indicate whether or not you are interested in this deal. If you are not, it will enable me scout for another foreign partner to carry out this deal I want to assure you that my partners and myself are in a position to make the payment of this claim possible provided you can give us a very strong assurance and guarantee that our share will be secured and please remember to treat this matter as very confidential matter, because we will not comprehend with any form of exposure as we are still in active Government Service and remember once again that time is of the essence to our successful execution of this transaction. I wait in anticipation of your fullest co-operation. operation. This business itself is 100% safe, provided you treat it with utmost confidentiality. Also your area of specialization is not a hindrance to the successful execution of this transaction. I have reposed my confidence in you and hope that you will not disappoint us.
Kindly notify me by fax for further details, upon your acceptance of this proposal.
Best Regards,
Ms Maraya Taraba
But she doesn't include a fax number, despite twice asking you to fax her… corrupt and stupid – a sad combination…