Two Hawks officials at the rank of a Sergeant and Captain will appear in the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court this morning, 8 September 2023 for allegations of corruption.
This comes after the Mthatha-based Serious Corruption Investigation and Serious Organised Crime Investigation of the Hawks arrested them during an undercover operation on Thursday, 7 September 2023.
“It is alleged that on 31 July 2023, a complainant received a call from the suspect who introduced himself as a Hawks official at the rank of a Captain in Gauteng wanting to meet them because the Department of Labour had opened a case against his company.”
The following month, it is said that the accuser allegedly received another call from the same official demanding R400 000 which the complainant reportedly indicated not to have.
“The complainant further indicated that on 5 September 2023, he received another call from the very same official securing their meeting in Mthatha to bring an amount of R50 000 for the docket to be destroyed and thus close the case.”
The complainant reported the matter to the Hawks and an undercover operation was conducted wherein the suspects were arrested immediately after the transaction.
“An amount of R10 000 was found in their possession. The duo will appear in Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court this morning.”
The Eastern Cape Hawks Head Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya expressed his satisfaction with the swift response of the joint operation.
“Such conduct by our own bring the name of the Hawks into disrepute,” he said, adding that the Hawks will continue to act without favour, fear or prejudice. – SAnews.gov.za
