Cape Town – Assets belonging to South African police officials implicated in the R191m “blue lights” tender case were reportedly seized on Friday by the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) and Investigating Directorate (ID), following a court order.
Reports said a R191 million contract was awarded to Vimpie Manthatha’s company to fit emergency lights to police vehicles in 2016 but the company only received R65 million.
The ID shared images of items seized, including a painting of the “Last Supper”, velvet curtains, gold-encrusted bed frames, leather furniture, golf carts and several vehicles — among them luxury Mercedes-Benz cars, reported TimesLives.
Operations were carried out in Sandton, Pretoria, Boksburg, Springs and Sasolburg following the court order, the report said.
According to News24, the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg granted the order on August 18, 2022 and identified assets worth R75 million.
The report said that former acting national police commissioner, Khomotso Phahlane and former deputy national police commissioner, Bonang Mgwenya, former Gauteng police commissioner Deliwe de Lange, former Gauteng deputy police commissioner Nombhuruza Lettie Napo, Ramahlapi Johannes Mokwena, James Ramanjalum, Ravichandran Swamivel Pillay, and Joseph Maetapese Mulaiwa were among the 11 people and a company implicated in the controversial case.
They faced charges of fraud, corruption and forgery in relation to the irregular procurement of emergency lights valued at R60 million, the report said.
In May, the accused attempted to have the case struck off the roll however, the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court dismissed their bid.
They were expected back in court on November 2, the report said.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
