R400 siphoned from state petrol card charge sees cop in cuffs, career at risk

10 November 2023 - 09:25
By TimesLIVE
A police officer and a petrol attendant were arrested on a charge of fraud. File photo.
Image: jarun/123rf A police officer and a petrol attendant were arrested on a charge of fraud. File photo.

An Eastern Cape police officer and a petrol attendant who stand accused of splitting R400 from a state fuel card have been arrested. 

The two, aged 29 and 36, were apprehended on Thursday by the Bizana-based serious corruption investigation (SCI) team of the Hawks  on a charge of fraud.

W/O Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said the police officer went to a local petrol station to refuel the official vehicle in June.

“The policeman allegedly colluded with the petrol attendant to fraudulently use the police service petrol card by pretending they were filling the state vehicle. The two allegedly successfully orchestrated the fraudulent transaction to an amount of R1,269. Further allegations revealed the suspects filled the vehicle with the cut-down amount of R869.90 and allegedly shared the difference of R400.

“During regular motor vehicle inspection the discrepancies were picked up. The matter was reported to the Hawks’ SCI team for further investigation.”

The two men will make their first court appearance before the Mthatha regional court on Friday.

TimesLIVE