Cape Town – A Mercedes Benz V-Class which was bought for a government official as gratification for awarding a tender for the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), has been forfeited to the State.
This comes after the High Court in East London granted the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit an order for the forfeiture of the car which was bought for a senior Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDOE) official as gratification for awarding a tender for the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).
The Mercedes-Benz V-Class was purchased through an elaborate money laundering scheme which involved the payment of R328 000 by the supplier, Sigqibo Makupula of Kups Trading, for a deposit to purchase the R800 000 vehicle for ECDOE chief director for supply chain management, Marius Harmse.
Eastern Cape NPA regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said in 2021 the court granted the AFU a preservation order of R328 000.
“It has now ordered that the State assume control of the vehicle, dispose of it through sale, and deposit the proceeds into the Criminal Asset Recovery Account (CARA), as the vehicle is an instrumentality of corruption and represents the proceeds of unlawful activities,” he said.
Tyali said that Harmse was responsible for the department that signed off on the tender that resulted in Makupula being paid R4 million by ECDOE in August 2020.
“He was therefore conflicted when he accepted the R328 000, paid as a deposit on the Mercedes V Series from Ronnies Motors.”
The granting of this forfeiture order is part and parcel of the law enforcement agency’s unwavering efforts to address corruption and to return proceeds of crime to the state.
IOL