Parliamentary committee on police welcomes arrest of Bosasa-linked suspects
The committee's chair says these high profile arrests are an indication of the new Hawks dedication.
Chairman of the parliamentary oversight committee on policing, Francois Beukman, listens to presentations at the uMlazi Police Station on Thursday. PHOTO: ANA Reporter
The parliamentary portfolio committee on police has welcomed the announcement by the head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPSI/Hawks), Lt General Godfrey Lebeya, of the arrest of seven suspects related to corruption, money-laundering, and fraud in the Bosasa tender matter.
Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said five suspects appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Court on Wednesday, which includes Bosasa former COO Angelo Agrizzi; a former employee of the controversial facilities management company, Frans Vorster; former Bosasa CFO Andries Van Tonder; and the former CFO of the department of correctional services (DCS) Patrick Gillingham.
The Hawks spokesperson added that those accused include three companies, namely, African Global Operations (formerly known as Bosasa) and the companies subsidiaries Sondolo IT and Phezulu Fencing.
The chairperson of the portfolio committee, Francois Beukman, said these high profile arrests are an indication of the new Hawks leadership’s commitment to deal with allegations related to organised commercial crime and corruption.
Beukman said the Hawk’s mandate was to deal effectively with corruption, organised-crime syndicates, and serious economic crime, adding that the Hawks must continue to “energetically” pursue this mandate.
“The investigators of the DPCI should be commended for their hard work and commitment to the rule of law.
“All South Africans have high expectations of the DPCI to ensure that allegations of fraud and corruption are properly investigated and court-ready dockets are made available to the National Prosecuting Authority for further processing,” he said.
The chairperson of the committee said the committee would be briefed in parliament by the Hawks on high profile cases on February 27 2019.
(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)
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