The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has arrested six high ranking officials in the police force, including two current serving major generals and a former police commissioner, with regards to R54 million tender fraud committed in 2016.
According to News24, former national police commissioner Kgomotso Phahlane was among those who were arrested for the 2016 tender fraud.
The six suspects also include two businessmen who were arrested on Monday in Durban, Bloemfontein and Durban.
The other suspects are acting head of the Crime Intelligence (CI) secret fund, Major-General Obed Nemutanzhela, Colonel Godfrey Mahwayi, head of CI in the Free State Major General Agnes Makhele.
The suspects were arrested on Monday night and Tuesday morning. They face charges of fraud, corruption and theft.
“The suspects were arrested in Durban, Bloemfontein, and various areas around Pretoria, while two of the suspects were arrested as they were boarding domestic flights from OR Tambo International Airport to Cape Town and Durban, respectively,” said Sindisiwe Seboka, the Investigating Directorate (ID) spokesperson.
“The arrests are a result of joint stakeholder co-operation between the Investigating Directorate (ID) and Ipid secondments assigned to the ID,” said Seboka.
The investigation centres on a procurement scandal from the state capture era, in which the cop spook division manipulated procurement processes for a R54 million splurge on social media monitoring tools and telephone encryption software.
The R33 million purchase of social media monitoring tool called RIPJAR began in December 2016, using emergency procurement prescripts, with the tool “urgently” needed to address “Fees Must Fall” university protests.
Source: News24, The Citizen, IOL, image from Twitter