Four officials from the department of justice and correctional services are facing possible criminal charges for alleged corruption and irregular awarding of tenders.

The EFF opened a case against them at the Hillbrow police station last month after the department's forensic unit uncovered irregularities in the awarding of three tenders.

The officials, known to Sunday World, cannot be named for legal reasons.

The EFF also wrote to public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane and asked her to investigate these officials.

Gauteng Hawks spokesperson Ndivhuwo Mulamu confirmed that a case of corruption was opened and was recently transferred to them for investigation.

"We will be investigating a corruption-related matter and no suspect has been arrested at this stage," she said.

Mkhwebane's spokesperson Oupa Segalwane confirmed that they had received a request from the EFF to investigate the allegations.

"I can only confirm that we did receive the complaint towards the end of August. We are investigating but the investigation is still in its very early stages," he said.

According to the affidavit deposed by EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee at the police station, the officials allegedly first interfered with the appointment of the company to supply the Polokwane High Court with furniture.

"The department of justice and correctional services has irregularly awarded a R10-million tender to Style Craft Office Design, a Durban-owned company, to supply office furniture to Polokwane High Court after an undue influence by (name withheld).

"According to the department's forensic unit report, Style Craft Office Design was not supposed to be awarded the contract to supply office furnisher because, amongst other things, the company was in the process of deregistering," reads the affidavit.

He said the second matter related to a cash-in-transit tender that was awarded to Fidelity Security Services last month.

The EFF MP alleged that the tender was advertised and later withdrawn to allegedly allow time for Fidelity to renew its Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority certificate.

Gardee also said the department awarded a tender to Container Conversion to "supply, deliver and install prefabricated mobile units to various offices nationally from February 27 2014 to February 26 2017 without advertising the tender".

Company MD Guy Murray disputed the claims that the tender was not advertised.

"The tender was advertised on Tradeworld. This is a tender alert service we subscribe to. Furthermore, we can confirm that the tender briefing was well-attended," he said.

Style Craft director Yashni Naidoo said: "I have no comment for you, this is ongoing and I have no comment."

Fidelity Security Group's Stegmann Fourie couldn't respond to our questions at the time of going to press.

Ministry spokesperson Stephans Mahlangu confirmed that they were aware of the corruption allegations in the department.

"An internal forensic investigation was finalised by the FAU during 2016. Disciplinary action was instituted against an official and the criminal case herein is currently under investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation," Mahlangu said about the high court furniture contract.

Mahlangu said an investigation was launched at the end of last month into the other two tenders.