By Obakeng Maje

Swartruggens-The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Commercial Crime Branch have arrested 5 suspects allegedly for fraudulent and theft activities committed during the period 2010 to 2011.

Three of the suspects aged 28, 36 and 32 were employed by the Department of Justice and stationed at Swartruggens Court.

Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said part of their duties was to pay out maintenance monies paid by fathers to the court for the maintenance of their deserving children.

“They had to prepare payment schedules for respective recipients of maintenance monies due to them and submit to Justice Head Office for payment” Ngubane said.

“It is alleged that the suspects took advantage of the system and misrepresented the deserving people at the Department (Head Office). According to the information, instead of suspects supplying the correct bank account numbers of the recipients on the payment schedule, they supplied their own bank accounts and those of relatives and friends”.

Brigadier Ngubane said that the two other suspects aged 32 and 22 were not employees of the Department of Justice.

The 32-year-old is the employee of the Department of health as an emergency vehicle driver and the 22-year-old is an unemployed and their bank accounts were used to steal and transfer money from the Department of Justice.

The total amount involved is in excess of five hundred thousand rand R500 000.

The suspects are expected to appear at the Zeerust magistrates’ Court today on charges of fraud and theft respectively.-TDN

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