Seven officials from the Phalala Vehicle Testing Station in Lephalele were sentenced this week on 51 counts of fraud, but they are likely to avoid jail time.
The seven accused persons, aged between 23 and 67, were ordered by the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Polokwane to either pay fines of R20,000 each or spend five years in prison.
The court case followed a lengthy investigation that dates back to October 2019, when an anti-corruption official from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) received complaints about a suspiciously high number of impounded unroadworthy vehicles that were previously issued roadworthy certificates by the Phalala Testing Station.
A subsequent investigation, assisted by the Hawkes in Polokwane, found that officials at the Lephalale station defrauded the Department of Transport by issuing roadworthy certificates without following the correct procedures.
According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the officials used the personal details of other individuals to issue roadworthy certificates without their knowledge.
Investigations further revealed that numerous vehicle owners were issued with certificates of roadworthiness without any physical inspections having taken place.
“After collecting the requested evidence, the Hawks conducted an operation named Corolla with the assistance of the RTMC and Special Investigations Unit (SIU). The accused being administrative clerks and vehicle examiners were arrested while on duty at the Phalala Vehicle Testing Station in October 2019,” the SAPS said.
“They were taken to Lephalale Magistrate's Court, where they were released on bail. The case was given necessary attention until the accused were convicted and sentenced.”
The Hawks’ provincial head Major General Gopz Govender welcomed the conviction and sent a stern warning to other officials considering corrupt acts of a similar nature.
But perhaps some jail time would have sent an even sterner message to potential perpetrators of this type of fraud, which literally keeps dangerous vehicles on our roads.
IOL