Allegedly offered R1 million to a police captain for his help in generating false invoices

Durban businessman Thoshan Panday and police Captain Aswin Narainpershad appeared on attempted fraud and corruption charges in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

Panday’s matter was postponed to April 13 and he will remain in police custody.

Narainpershad, a supply-chain management officer who was released on R20,000 bail last Wednesday, will be back in court on July 26.

Both were arrested last Tuesday in Durban after being charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, incitement to commit fraud and corruption.

State prosecutor Dorian Paver said the two allegedly offered R1 million to police Captain Kevin Stephen for his help in generating false invoices for submission to the police service from December 2011 to March 2012.

Stephen, who previously worked for the public order policing unit, was responsible for arranging accommodation for members deployed away from home.

Panday was admitted to hospital after experiencing chest pains in the Durban Magistrate’s Court last Wednesday. The Sunday Tribune reported that Panday spent much of the Easter long weekend under guard at the eThekwini Heart Hospital.

Panday has been in the news recently over corruption charges for allegedly trying to bribe Hawks KwaZulu-Natal head Johan Booysen with R2 million to obtain a sensitive document central to a corruption investigation.

The latest charges were unrelated to the Booysen case.