Staff Reporter
Five senior Free State government officials are expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on Tuesday facing corruption, fraud and money laundering charges involving over R244 million.
The suspects, aged between 39 and 59 years old, include a former head of department and a retired official.
They were arrested by the Hawks on Monday.
A statement issued by the Hawks national office said the allegations against the five relate to a company known as Superior Quality Trading, which also trades as Rekgonne Community Projects.
It said during investigations into the Estina Dairy case, it was discovered that there were irregularities in the financial flow analysis of a bank account.
“In June 2014, Rekgonne Community Projects entered into an agreement with the Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to implement all projects on behalf of the department for two years,” read part of the statement.
“Between 2012 and 2016, the department is said to have paid more than R244 million to the company.”
Last month, former Free State agriculture chief finance officer Sylvia Dlamini, 49, who is presently the deputy director general in the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, and businesswoman Malikomo Mohapi, 55, were arrested by the same Hawks team after they uncovered an alleged elaborate fraudulent scheme.
When the two women were arrested, the Hawks said the matter was not part of the much-publicised Estina Dairy scandal which has since been struck off the court roll, but it was discovered during investigations into that case.
The Hawks said at the time large amounts of money were allegedly deposited into a bank account belonging to Dlamini.
The two women are out on R10 000 bail each pending their next appearance on September 10.