Johannesburg - Major-General Shadrack Sibiya - the former head of the Gauteng Hawks - has been arrested.
He was detained at Joburg Central Police Station, and he was criminally charged on five counts of fraud.
He appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court for allegedly fraudulently claiming over R24 000 in travel expenses from his former employer, the Hawks.
Sibiya allegedly claimed the money for expenses he incurred while using his private vehicle for official duties. But the claims he submitted for that vehicle were made in the five months before he had bought the car.
The charge sheet said Sibiya bought a BMW X6 at the end of June 2012 from Sandton Auto. It was financed by Wesbank.
At the time, the luxury vehicle sold for between R790 000 and R1.3 million.
Sibiya allegedly submitted claims ranging from R1 966 in February, 2012, to R11 811 in June that year.
The charge sheet stated: “He was not entitled to claim for reimbursement of expenses incurred using the registration details of the said motor vehicle as he was not in possession of, nor owned, nor used the said motor vehicle during the periods referred to... and thereby the accused committed the crime of fraud.”
Prosecutor Boysie Mabaso told the court the investigation had been completed and requested a postponement which was granted to later this month, to make the docket available to Sibiya’s defence team.
Sibiya, who was wearing khaki trousers and a khaki button-up shirt was released on warning.
The charges come just before Sibiya appears before the Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council (SSSBC) to try to get back his top position in the Hawks.
He was fired last year after an internal disciplinary hearing found him guilty of playing a part in the illegal rendition of Zimbabweans.
Read: Hawks’ Sibiya guilty of Zim renditions
Between November 2010 and January 2011, several Zimbabweans were allegedly kidnapped by members of the Hawks and unlawfully handed over to Zimbabwean police at Beit Bridge border post. Sibiya is appearing before the council later this month to challenge his dismissal.
A letter sent by Sibiya’s lawyers to The Hawks on Wednesday, which The Star has seen, stated: “Our client is seeking relief on the basis that his dismissal was both substantively and procedurally unfair and he is seeking re-instatement.”
It expressed concern at the announcement of the appointment of Prince Mokotedi as the new Gauteng Hawks boss, which was made on the same day the letter was sent.
“This is the very position which was held by our client at the time of his unfair dismissal and the position to which he should be reinstated if he succeeds at the bargaining council at the SSSBC.”
Mokotedi resigned from the National Prosecuting Authority after he was accused of leaking information to the media.
The Star