15 suspects to appear in court for R1.9m PPE corruption
Fifteen suspects are expected to appear in court on Tuesday in connection with corruption at the
South African Police Service.
The arrests are related to the acquisition of personal protective equipment valued at R1.9 million.
“Six of the accused are former police officers, two are current serving police officers and one serving administrative clerk,” says NPA spokesperson Athlenda Mathe.
The rest of the accused are civilians linked to the supplier.
Mathe says the accused were arrested on Monday morning in Gauteng and Limpopo.
“They were arrested on charges of fraud, theft, corruption and forgery arising from a scheme to unlawfully benefit a third-party supplier of latex gloves for the SAPS nationally in April 2020.”
ALSO READ: Stage 2 load shedding set to return on Monday night
According to Mathe the arrests flow from a wide-ranging investigation into procurement and supply chain management at SAPS.
“The investigation has uncovered the award of numerous contracts for the benefit of third-party front companies, which in turn facilitate kickbacks to senior SAPS officials.
“This is the sixth case by the ID tackling the scourge of corruption in the police. More arrests emanating from police corruption can be expected.”
All 15 will appear at the Palm Ridge Specialised Crimes Court on Tuesday.
