Twenty-two current SAPS members as well as six former police officers are among the 42 accused.
Picture: Twitter/@SAPoliceService.
DURBAN – Dozens of suspects are expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning after being arrested for tender fraud in the South African Police Service (SAPS) amounting to R56 million.
Twenty-two current SAPS members, as well as six former police officers, are among the 42 accused.
The matter dates back to 2018 when national Police Commissioner Khehla Sithole established a team to look into irregularities in the awarding of tenders for the marking of police vehicles.
The officers face a range of charges, including money laundering, perjury and theft.
The police’s Athlenda Mathe said: “The initial investigations pertaining to the marking and demarking of SAPS vehicles and massive looting of state funds through procurement irregularities and fraudulent processing of government contracts to unlawfully award the same supplier having numerous companies registered on the supplier database.”
Mathe said that they were pleased with the progress made in this case over the past two years and hoped that the arrests would serve as a deterrent to corrupt police officers and suppliers.
