Four senior officials from the Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism have been arrested by the Hawks as part of a probe into a R6.7 million diamond scam.
They will be in court soon on charges of fraud and contravening both the Diamonds Act and the Public Finance Management Act.
Spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Philani Nkwalase, says these charges stem from donor funding from the European Union (EU) of more than R6.7 million received during the 2010/2011 financial year.
The money was supposed to train 40 students in cutting and polishing diamonds facilitated by Kimberley Diamonds International Jewellery Academy (KIDJA).
It was established that the diamonds were missing and unaccounted for in July 2012, this was uncovered during the random inspection by the Auditor General.
The Hawks Investigation into the diamonds saga resulted in the arrest of the four senior officials.
Lieutenant-Colonel Philani Nkwalase says the diamonds were purchased in 2011 from a private entity, but a year later, the diamonds were missing and could not be accounted for.
Picture: Hawks
