State withdraws company charges in Phahlane R54m corruption case
The High Court in Pretoria has postponed the R54-million SAPS software corruption case involving former acting police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane and five co-accused to 12 November, after the State sought to amend the charges.
The South African State has withdrawn charges against one of the companies in the R54 million SAPS software corruption case involving former National Police Commissioner Khomotso Phahlane and five co-accused. The case, which revolves around two SAPS contracts worth approximately R54 million, will be postponed to November 12 to allow the State to amend the charges.
The alleged irregularities occurred during Phahlane's tenure as acting national police commissioner and relate to the procurement processes for police monitoring software systems. The IDAC spokesperson, Henry Mamothame, confirmed that the postponement was necessary because the State discovered that one of the accused companies no longer exists.
Phahlane, Lieutenant-Colonel Godfrey Mahwayi, Major-General Maanda Obert Nemutandzhela, Major-General Mankosana Agnes Makhele, businessman Inbanathan Kistiah, and Avendra Naidoo face charges of fraud, corruption, theft, and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). The two contracts involve the alleged misuse of software known as RIPJAR and Daedalus, which were intended for use during the 2015 #FeesMustFall protests and for encryption and wiping of cellphone records and messages.
The SAPS software corruption case has been a significant matter for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) and the IDAC.
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