Johannesburg – The assets of an Umhlanga couple accused of fraudulently winning tenders worth over R26m were preserved by the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday.

Judge Johann Ploos van Amstel ordered that the assets of Shamla and Ravan Chetty be preserved, as a possible precursor to the assets being forfeited to the state.

They were awarded tenders by the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape public works departments by allegedly using fraudulent documents and bribing officials to verify the legitimacy of the documents.

An employee of the Construction Industry Development Board was also allegedly paid to verify the couple’s associate company as legitimate.

Kenneth Samuel, of the KwaZulu-Natal directorate of public prosecutions, said the value of the tenders awarded was R26.9m.

The couple were expected to face charges in the Durban Commercial Crime Court.

A property in Harrier Crescent, Umhlanga, other properties in the Durban area, a Porsche Cayenne, a Mercedes Benz, and 15 other cars were listed as the couple’s assets.

– SAPA