Two Chinese brothers arrested for bribery, illegal possession of ivory, diamonds, abalone in Pretoria
A 48 year-old Chinese national and his younger brother have been arrested following an attempt to bribe a home affairs department official in Pretoria, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) said.
According to Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, the 48-year-old man allegedly approached the home affairs official and offered him R3000 provided the official checked, processed, and authorised the passport of the suspect's brother.
"The officer alerted the Pretoria Hawks serious corruption unit and an operation was swiftly conducted", Mulaudzi said.
The man was nabbed in the act of offering the bribe and subsequent investigations led the Hawks to OR Tambo International Airport where the man’s brother had already boarded a flight to Hong Kong.
“The flight was slightly delayed and the Hawks [were] just in time to pounce on him. The 36-year-old man was found to be in possession of a fraudulent passport and upon searching his luggage the Hawks found polished diamonds, ivory, 10kg or wet abalone, a bag of dry abalone, and a bag of Lenovate ointment, which can only [be obtained] with a doctor’s prescription. The value of his loot is estimated at R6 million", Mulaudzi explained.
The brothers would appear in the Kempton Park and Pretoria Magistrate’s Courts respectively on Monday on charges of bribery, fraud, illegal possession of diamonds, ivory, and abalone.
– African News Agency (ANA)