THREE Wentworth police officers face the justice system they were meant to serve when they were sentenced to three years in prison for extortion and defeating the ends of justice on Tuesday, 4 August.
While on duty on 12 February 2013, Warrant Officers Shivram Maharaj and Roshan Ramesar and Sergeant Solomon Sikhobi arrested the brother of a Bluff petrol station owner.
The fuel staion owner’s brother had been arrested by the police for collecting a trailer for him. According to the petrol station owner, he had reached an agreement with the trailer’s owner that he would keep it as security because he was owed money.
W/Os Maharaj and Ramesar and Sgt Sikhobi threatened to arrest the petrol station owner too but said they were willing to forgo charging anyone if he paid them R5,000. He managed to negotiate the cost down and paid the officers R2,500.
He later opened a case of extortion at Brighton Beach police station. Brighton Beach SAPS detectives investigated the claim, leading to the trio’s arrest on 26 February 2013.
The Durban Magistrates Court sentenced the three men to three years in prison each, which they plan to appeal against.
SAPS KZN media applauded the work by the Brighton Beach SAPS detectives. “Corrupt practises such as these erode public confidence in the SAPS. We hope this conviction sends a clear message that we will not hesitate to act decisively when our police officers are accused of crime and corruption. There is no place in the SAPS for such individuals and we call on members of our community to continue to blow the whistle on crime and corruption.”
