The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) on Tuesday raided the offices of the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) as part of its investigation into allegations of corruption and maladministration.

“We are here. We were granted a search warrant yesterday [Monday] to come and get documents from the commission and all other areas where we can find the documents,” said SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago, speaking from the commission’s offices in Pretoria.

He said the search and seizure operation was in relation to an investigation they were doing under proclamation 32 of 2020.

The proclamation was signed in October and gazetted in November.

“We are asked, through allegations that were put through, to investigate malpractice and maladministration at the Lotteries Commission,” he said.

“We are in the process of gathering information to make sure we look at it. The proclamation says we must investigate all the transactions from January 1 2014 up until the date of the proclamation.

“We are looking at the granting of the disbursements that were done,” Kganyago said.

Some of the allegations the SIU is investigating at the NLC include:

• Serious maladministration in connection with the affairs of the NLC;
• Unlawful appropriation or expenditure of public money or property;
• Improper or unlawful conduct by employees or officials of the NLC;
• Unlawful, irregular or unapproved acquisitive acts, transactions, measures or practices having a bearing upon state property; and
• Intentional or negligent loss of public money or damage to public property.

TimesLIVE