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By Goitsemang Tlhabye 
13h ago
Pretoria – National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sitole has warned SAPS members to stay away from corruption and criminality.
Sitole intervened before the judicial appearance of 42 defendants, among them high-ranking members of the SAPS, for alleged fraud, among other charges.
They will appear in Pretoria Magistrates Court to face charges of fraud, money laundering, corruption and theft in connection with the manipulation of procurement documents that cost SAPS R85 million.
The first group of 36 defendants appeared in court, followed by four captains from the Silverton Police Station.
Six more defendants appeared in court yesterday and were released on bail of 5000 rand each.
They are Colonel Lawrence Thahane, Pragalathan Gouden, Anna Catharina du Preez, Lieutenant Colonel Tshepo Mashego, as well as father and son, Volan Prithviraj and Kumarasen Prithviraj.
The group of 42 includes police officers, retired captains and management employees stationed at the supply chain post in Silverton, as well as suppliers.
It is alleged that they tampered with the procurement documents for the brand of police vehicles for a sum of R56m, as well as listed SAPS tenders valued at R29m in total.
The alleged incidents, according to the Directorate of Investigations, occurred more than 200 times between April 2016 and 2019.
These involved quotations for contracts for the installation of palisade fences, repair of state motor vehicles, landscaping services, forklift maintenance and painting services.
The arrests are part of three-year investigations into corruption by the National Prosecutor’s Office, which in June witnessed the arrests of 16 senior SAPS officials.
After the first group appeared in court, Sitole said: “The arrest of ours should send a severe warning to all law enforcement officers to stay away from crime and corruption at all times.”
He added that the latest arrests were indicative of the police’s commitment to fighting corruption within its own ranks.
Meanwhile, the head defender of the Investigations Directorate, Hermione Cronje, said that they were also satisfied with the rejection of the lawsuit filed in the Labor Court by seven of the defendants.
Pretoria News
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