Three police officers who appeared before the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in the Eastern Cape have been granted bail after being charged with fraud.
Retired Provincial Organised Crime official, Captain Sandla Dlulisa, 63, expelled former Sergeant Kenneth Booi, 44, and Sergeant Andile Warrick Mpitimpithi, 49, who is still an active member of the Provincial Organised Crime branch were charged with subsistence fraud.
The trio were arrested by members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s (known as Hawks) Serious Corruption Investigation team based in East London during the early hours of Monday morning, July 29.
The provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, Captain Yolisa Mgolodela said the crimes were perpetrated between December 2017 and August 2018.
“It is alleged that between December 2017 and August 2018, Dlulisa, Booi and Mpithimpithi colluded and submitted fraudulent subsistence claims stating to be out on investigations, meanwhile they were at their respective offices or homes.
“Investigation revealed that during the said period, the suspects made these claims for the whole month including public holidays, whereas they were travelling in and out of the office and never slept over in any other city or towns where they claimed to have been conducting investigations,” Mgolodela said.
The Hawks’ investigations further revealed that during the period of the fraud being committed, the trio prejudiced the SAPS of cash to the value of more than R260,000.
The court granted each one R5,000 bail.
The case has been postponed until August 27, for full instructions from the attorneys on record.
The provincial head of the Hawks, Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya lauded the team for imposing the law without fear or favour, even with colleagues.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
IOL