Cape Town - An inquiry is to be launched in October to determine whether circumstances justify a confiscation order against a former Hawks police captain who was jailed for 10 years on charges of extortion, theft and defeating the ends of justice.
Former captain Patrick Siyali and constable Wilfred Mentoor were jailed in April – Mentoor for eight months – on charges of theft and defeating the administration of justice.
Neither were present in court on Thursday, when the case was called in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court, before magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg.
Prosecutor Denzyl Combrink scheduled the inquiry, against both, for October 27.
If granted, the confiscation order will enable the prosecuting authorities to seize their ill-gotten gains, in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, better known as Poca.
Since being jailed, an application launched by Mentoor for leave to appeal has been dismissed.
On the theft charge, he was sentenced to four years correctional supervision, of which he will serve only eight months, before being released into house arrest.
For defeating the ends of justice, he was sentenced to an additional four years, totally suspended for five years.
Their case was a sequel to the innocent involvement of victim Nicodemus Solly Moeng in the so-called Black Dollar Scam, four years ago.
At the time, Moeng was the president of the French South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He was caught up in the scam, when a Congolese bogus investor duped Moeng into parting with R300,000 for a “lucrative investment”.
Moeng received four lock-up safes, filled with US dollars. The safes in fact contained black pieces of paper cut to the size of US dollars.
On his way home with the safes, Moeng was stopped by Siyale and Mentoor, who claimed to be investigating the scam.
They accused Moeng of involvement in it, and Siyale demanded money not to arrest him.
Moeng reported them, and Siyale was later arrested after receiving R500 from Moeng in an under cover police “sting”.
ANA