Phahlane trial (R54 million): charges withdrawn against defunct company
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on IOL
Former acting police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane and five co-accused are on trial for fraud and corruption over two contracts for police surveillance software, worth about R54 million. The trial has been postponed to 12 November, while the prosecution amends the indictment after one of the companies ceased to exist, according to the IDAC.
The R54 million trial concerning South African Police Service (SAPS) software has been postponed to 12 November. Former deputy national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane and five co-accused are being tried before the High Court in Pretoria. The prosecution must amend the charges after discovering that one of the companies prosecuted no longer exists, according to Henry Mamothame, spokesperson for the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), the prosecution’s anti-corruption unit. The company’s director remains prosecuted in his personal capacity.
The prosecution concerns two contracts. The first involves the RIPJAR software, intended to monitor the #FeesMustFall student protests of October 2015. The second involves Daedalus, a communications encryption software, which allegedly was used to encrypt calls and delete phone histories while Phahlane was under investigation by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID). The accused are charged with fraud, corruption, theft and violation of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).
