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A senior public prosecutor in East London is set to appear in the East London Magistrate’s court on Thursday on charges of corruption and defeating the course of justice.
Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana says the 50-year-old suspect was arrested on Monday following a joint operation involving the Provincial Anti-Corruption unit and Task Team and the Crime Intelligence Unit.
Brigadier Kinana says the Anti-Corruption Unit had identified a threat after receiving reports of continuous and numerous missing court dockets in the East London Magistrate’s Court in 2016.
Its alleged that the accused asked an individual charged with drunken driving to pay a sum of R20 000 in exchange for the destruction of the court docket.
Consequently, the docked went missing but the police were able to reconstruct it and were ready to bring it before court.
Brigadier Kinana says the suspect then allegedly persuaded his victim to pay another 5-thousand rand so that the reconstructed court docket could be destroyed as well.
After a lengthy investigation, which was started in 2019 by the Anti-Corruption Unit, the accused was eventually tracked down and arrested after initially evading arrest.
The Acting Provincial Police Commissioner, Major General Thembisile Patekile, said the law must take its course. “Reports of civil servants being involved in corrupt activities are disturbing and disappointing. These are the people who are expected to uphold the law and protect the image and resources of the government by ensuring that justice is served and service delivery is not compromised.”
