The North West High Court this week granted the NPA a preservation order for a corruption case amounting to R200,000.
According to NPA provincial spokesperson, Henry Mamothame, a preservation order was granted against a Polo Vivo, cash of R66,400 and a bottle of 15-year-old whiskey.
Mamothame said the order pertains to an incident that occurred on October 23, 2022 where two people were arrested by the Serious Corruption Investigation Unit offices in Klerksdorp.
The accused allegedly attempted to bribe a police officer who was investigating a Rustenburg corruption case about the irregular appointment of service providers by the Rustenburg Local Municipality.
Explaining the charges, Mamothame said this entailed the irregular appointment of service providers by the then supply chain manager and other municipal employees.
“The two suspects offered a total amount of R200,000 to the police officer to destroy the police docket, and at the time of their arrest they handed an amount of R25,000 and a 15-year-old whiskey to the police,” he said.
Mamothame said a further amount of R41,400 was discovered inside the Polo Vivo and the suspects could not account for it.
The NPA said the court agreed with the State that the money was part of the intended bribe money to be given to the anti-corruption police officer.
“Further, the vehicle was used by the suspects as an instrument to facilitate the offence of corruption by travelling with it from Sandton to Klerksdorp to bribe the police officer at their own offices, to act against their mandate, to the detriment of the administration of justice and to make a mockery of the entire criminal justice system,” concluded Mamothame.
The matter will be back in court on July 10 for a pre-trial conference.
IOL