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The Democratic Alliance welcomed the arrest of former Transnet CEO Brian Molefe and ex-Chief Financial Officer Anoj Singh on Monday.
They joined three other former Transnet executives, two businessmen, and one of their employees in the dock, following their first court appearance in July.
Molefe and Singh were joined in the dock by Regiments Capital Directors Niven Pillay and Litha Nyhonhya on fraud and corruption charges amounting to R398.4 million.
DA MP, Advocate Glynnis Rautenbach, said the Democratic Alliance had long been calling for their arrests.
“While others have already been charged in this case, it seems that the last chickens have now finally come home to roost. Under Molefe and Singh, the Guptas and other ANC cadres used Transnet as their own personal piggy bank,” she said.
Rautenbach says she believes that the next step must be for the R41.2 billion in contracts that were awarded to companies linked to the Guptas and their associate Salim Essa, to be recouped.
The former Transnet executives and their co-accused are charged with contravention of the Public Finance Management Act and fraud, while the other accused are charged with fraud, corruption, and money laundering.
The NPA says the group was arraigned on charges stemming from the R54 billion locomotives transaction advisory tender.
The senior executives arrested on Monday were granted bail of R50 000 each and all the accused are expected back in court on the 14th of October.
The State further issued warrants of arrest for Salim Essa and Ashok Narayan who is currently out of the country
Head of the Investigative Directorate, Advocate Andrea Johnson said they were expecting to make more arrests.
“Transnet is considered one of the primary sites of massive looting of state funds at the peak of the state capture project. Monday's arrests and court appearance of additional senior executives reflects a significant milestone and outcome of our complex investigations."
