Houses, cars, insurance policies and shares worth millions of rands belonging to those accused of committing the R31-million SBV robbery have been frozen in terms of a secret order granted in the Durban high court on Friday.

This is the fourth time law firm Deneys Reitz, acting for SBV insurers Lloyd's of London, have successfully gone to court to attach multi-million-rand assets they say are the proceeds of the August 1996 robbery.

The insurance company is also suing several of the same people for the entire R31 million it lost in the robbery.

While many of those implicated are behind bars awaiting trial on related criminal charges, the investigation by special police investigator Captain Martin Hall, forensic auditors and lawyers, has now uncovered more "proceeds".

Some are in the hands of friends and family of the accused, many of whom were serving policemen before their arrests.

In terms of the order, granted in chambers by Judge Squires, five houses - two said to be worth more than R1 million - two vehicles, three insurance policies and thousands of Old Mutual "free shares" belonging to 13 people were frozen.

With acknowledgement to Independent Online.