Corruption case against cops postponed
The case involving ten Parow police station officials facing fraud and corruption charges was postponed to July next year.
The matter was scheduled to commence on Monday and run through to Friday in the Bellville Regional Court but was on Wednesday postponed to July 25 next year.
On Monday, an unrelated prioritised case caused the matter to be rolled over to Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the absence of interpreters needed for five different languages, caused the case to be rolled over to Wednesday, with the assurance that all five interpreters would be present on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the trial was set to start before magistrate Njengele Tshiki, when it transpired that the Sotho-speaking interpreter spoke northern Sotho, whereas a southern Sotho-speaking interpreter was required.
The trial, which was scheduled to run for five days, made no progress beyond the court recording the not-guilty pleas of the 10 accused the day before.
All the accused face charges of corruption, while seven of them also face a fraud charge each, to which they, too, pleaded not guilty.
Before the court were Percy Claassen, 46, who pleaded not guilty to four counts of corruption and one of fraud, Randall Phillips, 28, who is charged with nine counts of corruption and one of fraud, Nicolaas Ryk, 38, who faces only one count of corruption, Muneer Daniels, 29, facing three of corruption and one of fraud, and Alvico Carolissen, 28, who faces seven charges of corruption and one of fraud.
The others are Divan Webster, 30, who is charged with three counts of corruption, Dudley Abrahams, 37, who faces one charge of fraud and one of corruption, Casbeth Tsiri,30, who is charged with four counts of corruption and one of fraud, Thembalethu Masimela, 29, who faces four of corruption and one of fraud, and Samkelo Mnyanda, 27, who faces three counts of corruption.
All were based at the Parow police statio in Cape Town’s northern suburbs.
Senior State advocate Thersia du Toit-Smit alleges that on various occasions in the year 2013, the accused falsely informed victims that drugs had been found on their business premises and demanded the immediate payment of fines to avoid arrest.