Fifteen cops in court for alleged corruption
Fifteen police officers and two officials from the Department of Home Affairs were expected to appear in the Zeerust Magistrate’s Court in the North West on Thursday on charges of fraud and corruption.
The police officers and the officials, stationed at South Africa’s Kopfontein border post, were arrested by the Hawks on Wednesday for allegedly accepting bribes from people crossing the border, in order for them to bypass standard procedure at the border between South Africa and Botswana.
“The suspects’ shenanigans were revealed during a crime intelligence operation in the area. These officials were found to be allowing persons and vehicles to enter and leave the country without being searched and without demanding to see necessary documentation,” said Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi.
He said the crimes were allegedly committed between June 2014 and March this year.