KZN: Ambulance tip-off saga – accused get bail

All of the suspects arrested for corruption relating to the alleged illegal tip-offs by police call centre staff to a private ambulance firm have been granted bail, Public Eye reports.

The arrests by the Hawks follow a two-year investigation into the alleged corrupt scheme whereby control room operators would tip-off the ambulance service in return for fees.

Midlands Emergency Medical Services (EMS) director Mark Winterboer was among the 11 accused who collectively face 352 counts of corruption for their involvement in illegal tip-offs originating from the control room at the Hilton Police Station.

After two years of investigations into the 10111 call centre operations, the Hawks have arrested nine call centre operators from the Hilton Station.

They stand accused of allegedly tipping off Midlands EMS paramedics and Sherwin’s Towing drivers on information about accidents and medical emergencies before all the other necessary authorities had been notified.

It is alleged that when the call centre received any calls from the public, instead of alerting the relevant authorities and all the emergency services, these call centre operators would privately message Midlands EMS and Sherwin’s towing, so they could be first on the scene.

The state alleges this gave Midlands EMS and Sherwin’s Towing an unfair advantage over other local emergency services and businesses.

The call centre operators would then allegedly get a cut of the profits via e-wallet payments.

In an affidavit presented before the case on Monday, Investigating Officer Andrew William Brown from the Directorate of Priority Crime (Hawks) said his team had been tasked with investigating this matter at the 10111 call centre in Hilton last February.

Their investigation had unearthed transcribed conversations between the suspects, bank payments from Midlands EMS to the accused SAPS members, as well as payments made to Midlands EMS from the Road Accident Fund.

There is the possibility that the accused may face additional charges of racketeering, which may be added at a later stage.
The names of the 11 accused are Mark Winterboer (Midlands EMS), SAPS members Kevin Pillay, Giesela Williegh, Asokan Moodley, Siyabonga Makhathini, Kribben Naidoo, Genrose Nkabini, Michael Mazibuko, Malusi Zulu, Ntombihkile Mchunu, and Mahendra Singh who is employed by the Department of Health as a control room operator for Grey’s Hospital.

Lareme Sherwin Moodley from Sherwin’s Towing faces a separate corruption charge alongside Nkabini.

Magistrate Ngubani granted bail to all the suspects because none of them had any previous or pending cases, none appear to be a flight risk, and all have provided valid residential addresses and promise to adhere to the bail conditions. Many of the accused expressed the intention to plead not guilty in the trial.

The case is remanded until March 3, 2020.