Zondo commission hears how Mdluli, Lazarus looted funds
The commission of inquiry into state capture has heard that over R1 million was looted from a secret service account between 2010 and 2011 to pay for flights by senior officials and their families.
Senior Hawks investigator Kobus Roelofse appeared before the commission on Tuesday.
He said he was made aware of allegations of fraud and corruption by a Lieutenant Colonel Dhanajay Naidoo who worked closely with former head of finance at crime intelligence, Major-General Solomon Lazarus.
Roelofse said Naidoo was involved in several unlawful transactions which were approved by Lazarus.
He told the commission he was able to conduct investigations which corroborated Naidoo's allegations.
"Naidoo informed me that on several occasions he had to arrange for (former crime intelligence head) General Richard Mdluli and his wife and children to fly from Johannesburg to Cape Town and the flights were private in their nature and were paid for through the secret service account.
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"According to Naidoo, General Lazarus also benefitted from the air travel including a pastor from the African Dream Family church, where Lazarus is a member.”
Roelofse also told the commission that Mdluli's family benefitted by some R300 000, Lazarus by just over R160 000 and another senior official R215 000 from a secret service account on flight bookings for family and friends.
He said the funds were channeled through a shelf company, which he referred to as 'Company X', and it would be responsible for purchasing the flight tickets.
Roelofse established through his investigations that the family members of these senior officials would misrepresent themselves as crime intelligence agents.