Corrupt Free State traffic officer Tshiya Desmond Pule will go to jail for asking for bribes from motorists. Picture: Supplied / Hawks
The Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court in the Free State sentenced a traffic officer on corruption charges on Monday, April 15.
Tshiya Desmond Pule, 43, was convicted on two counts of corruption.
Pule was investigated and arrested by members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s (known as Hawks) Serious Corruption Investigation team based in Bloemfontein.
The Hawks’ provincial spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Zweli Mohobeleli said Pule demanded bribes from motorists.
“On August 29, 2017, a female complainant reported that Pule had demanded R500 gratification from her to avoid being arrested for a traffic violation. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the accused had demanded a further R1,500 from another victim.
“The members attached to the Bloemfontein Serious Corruption Investigation team collected evidence and presented their case before the prosecution. The latter authorised a warrant for Pule's arrest. He appeared in court a number of times before his sentencing,” Mohobeleli said.
The court subsequently sentenced Pule to five years imprisonment for each count of corruption against him. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently. This results in Pule serving an effective five years in prison.
The court further declared him unfit to possess a firearm.
The head of the Hawks in the Free State, Major General Mokgadi Bokaba welcomed the sentence.
Bokaba praised the investigating team for their hard work.
“More importantly, we thank those who exposed the officer’s corrupt ways,” Bokaba said.
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