Two suspects, aged 37 and 51, are expected to appear before the Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Court today, where they will face charges of fraud, corruption and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act.
It was reported that, earlier this year, auctions were held on different occasions at the government garage in Bloemfontein where 18 vehicles were sold to the 37-year-old suspect at an amount of R1 163 758.00. A deposit of R150 000 was paid by the suspect and he was also required to pay the full amount before the vehicles could be released by the garage. It is alleged that the 51-year-old suspect, who is a Senior Admin Cleck at the garage, released the vehicles to his accomplice without the outstanding balance being settled in terms of departmental policies. It is further alleged that the 51-year-old suspect made misrepresentations to the security official at the garage so that the vehicles can be released.
The matter was reported to the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team in Bloemfontein. Further investigation uncovered that the 51-year-old suspect allegedly received R10 000 gratification from his accomplice. A sterling Hawks investigation saw warrants of arrest being issued by the court. On Tuesday, 14 November 2023 the duo handed themselves over to the Hawks’ investigating officer and were duly charged.
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