The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Commercial Crime Branch have arrested five(5) suspects allegedly for fraudulent and theft activities committed during the period 2010 to 2011.
Three(3) of the suspects aged 28, 36 and 32 years were employed by the Department of Justice and stationed at Swartruggens Court. Part of their duties was to pay out maintenance monies paid by fathers to the court for the maintenance of their deserving children. They had to prepare payment schedules for respective recipients of maintenance monies due to them and submit to Justice Head Office for payment.
It is alleged that the suspects took advantage of the system and misrepresented the deserving people at the Department (Head Office). According to the information, instead of suspects supplying the correct bank account numbers of the recipients on the payment schedule, they supplied their own bank accounts and those of relatives and friends. It is further alleged that the two other suspects aged 32, and 22 years were not employees of the Department of Justice.
The 32-year-old is the employee of the Department of health as an emergency vehicle driver and the 22-year-old is an unemployed and their bank accounts were used to steal and transfer money from the Department of Justice. The total amount involved is in excess of five hundred thousand rand (R500 000-00).
The suspects are expected to appear today at the Zeerust magistrates’ court on charges of fraud and theft respectively.
Media enquiries:
Brigadier Thulani Ngubane
Cell: 082 372 4511
