Rustenburg - A 45-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly refusing to testify in court, the Hawks said.
The woman is a potential witness in a case of fraud at the Department of Transport. She allegedly refused to sign a J32 subpoena to testify at the Middelburg Commercial Crime Court in Mpumalanga.
Hawks spokesperson, Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi, said the main accused in the case allegedly fraudulently used letterheads of the Department of Transport to source suppliers.
“After the supplier bought and delivered the procured assets the suspect vanished without paying her. The victim waited for payment but nothing was received. She then went to the Department of Transport to enquire about the payment for the assets she procured. The department responded that they never ordered anything from her,” Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi said.
“The matter was reported to the Middelburg-based Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation for a further probe. During the investigation the accused was arrested and later released on bail and she is still attending court. Witnesses were summoned and testified in court and only one potential witness from the department was subpoenaed to come and testify.”
She said on June 30 the investigating officer went to the department to serve the woman with a J32 subpoena to go and testify at the Middelburg Commercial Crime Court.
The woman allegedly refused to receive and sign the subpoena.
“She then refused and told the investigating officer to take the subpoena back to court and throw it to the prosecutor as she was not coming. She further said that she is no longer interested in the case and the prosecutor should stop calling or email her anything concerning the case.”
The case was postponed to July 25 for her to appear in court but she failed to attend. The court issued a warrant for her arrest on that day.
“On the August 12, 2022, she was arrested pending her first court appearance on Monday, August 15, 2022, at the Middelburg Commercial Crime Court and she remains in custody,” she said.
Hawks provincial head in Mpumalanga Major-General Zodwa Mokoena said the arrest should serve as a reminder to others that witnesses have an obligation to appear before court to testify and not at their discretion.
“Any witness who undermines the court will become an accused,” Mokoena said.
IOL