National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams will prosecute businessman Thoshan Panday and Colonel Navin Madhoe and for alleged corruption.
|||Johannesburg - National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams on Friday announced he has decided to prosecute businessman Thoshan Panday and Colonel Navin Madhoe and for alleged corruption.
“The charges relate to an incident where former KwaZulu-Natal head of the Hawks, General Johan Booysen was offered in excess of one million rand to backdate a report relating to the investigation about irregular procurement processes in respect of accommodation during the 2010 World Cup,” the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said in a statement.
“Colonel Madhoe wanted General Booysen to backdate the report in order for same to be regarded as inadmissible during subsequent litigation process.”
In April, acting national police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phahlane suspended KwaZulu-Natal top cop Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni over her “possibly corrupt” dealings with Panday.
Ngobeni was in hot water after allegations surfaced that Panday ?paid for her husband’s lavish birthday party. She also faced allegations that she ordered the head of the Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal to stop investigating Panday in connection with a R60 million police accommodation tender.
Ngobeni has claimed that she paid Panday back and denied interfering with the investigation against the businessman, that was led by Booysen.
The suspended Booysen claimed in court papers, submitted in his fight against racketeering charges that have been levelled against him, that Ngobeni told him to stop investigating Panday.
Booysen and 18 members of the former Cato Manor serious and violent crimes unit were fighting racketeering charges levelled against them by the NPA.
The NPA said its KwaZulu-Natal branch had previously declined to prosecute the matter and that Abrahams reviewed the matter in terms of Section 179 of the Constitution.
“The accused and their legal representatives have been advised of the NDPP’s decision. They will appear in the Durban Regional Court on a date agreed upon by the [Director of Public Prosecutions] DPP KwaZulu-Natal and the legal representatives of the accused.”
Abrahams has further asked Captain Aswin Narainpershad, Madhoe and Panday to make representations to the NPA regarding an investigation on alleged irregular procurement during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The KwaZulu-Natal NPA had also declined to prosecute the three on the alleged procurement charges.
“The NDPP has invited representations from the aforementioned suspects in terms of Section 179 (5) (d) of the Constitution. The NDPP has prescribed the 16th September 2016 as a deadline for the submission of the representations. A decision in respect of this matter will be taken after receipt of the said representations should the suspects avail themselves of this opportunity,” said the NPA.
African News Agency