More than 30 to appear in court over 'Operation Corolla' fraud
The suspects, who include a mother and son as well as a husband and wife, were arrested in an October transport month crackdown on fraud and corruption in Limpopo.
More than 30 officials suspected of fraudulently issuing vehicle roadworthy certificates are set to appear in court on Monday after spending the weekend in custody.
The suspects, who include a mother and son as well as a husband and wife, were arrested in an October transport month crackdown on fraud and corruption in Limpopo.
According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC)'s Simon Zwane, "Operation Corolla" resulted in 31 arrests when a joint team of the RTMC, the Hawks, and the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) raided privately-owned vehicle testing stations in Lephalale, Marble Hall, and Polokwane.
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It is expected that the suspects will seek to be released on bail when they appear in court in the three towns today.
They are facing serious allegations that they issued roadworthy vehicles to scores of vehicles that they never physically examined. It is also believed that they used the identities of unsuspecting individuals to create the impression that they delivered vehicles for testing.
"The fraudulent issuing of roadworthy certificates seems to be a very big problem and highly concentrated in privately owned vehicle testing stations," says Zwane, noting that more arrests are expected "soon."
Charges of defeating the ends of justice are to be added to those who were arrested in Marble Hall. This comes after some of them were caught red-handed while burning and shredding documents that are required for the investigations.