Mmamonnye Ngobeni and her co-accused Aswin Narianpers handed themselves over to the police on Monday morning after the National Prosecuting Authority secured an arrest warrant against them on Friday.
Former KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Mmamonnye Ngobeni and co-accused Aswin Narainpersad appeared in court on 5 October 2020 on fraud and corruption charges linked to a R47 million police tender during the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. Picture: Nkosikhona Duma/EWN
DURBAN – The lawyer representing former KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Mmamonnye Ngobeni has told the Durban Magistrates Court that the case against his client was unconstitutional.
Ngobeni and her co-accused Aswin Narianpers had handed themselves over to the police on Monday morning after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) secured an arrest warrant against them on Friday.
Ngobeni and Narianpers are charged together with Durban businessperson Thoshan Panday and Navin Madhoe, a police officer in tender corruption involving R47 million.
Ngobeni’s family allegedly received R26,000 from Panday as a bribe in 2010.
The State has also alleged that she instructed the former KZN Hawks boss Johan Booysen to halt an investigation into Panday and police officers linked to him.
But her lawyer, Ravindra Manicklal, said the court action against his client was unjust because the NPA had previously taken a decision not to prosecute her.
“As far as my client understands, she was never advised that the decision was to review the decision made not to prosecute her in 2014 for all these matters. So, it came as quite a surprise that she is here on a matter that has not been officially reviewed.”
Ngobeni, Panday and their two co-accused are out on bail and are expected back in court next month.
