Cape Town - Western Cape police commissioner Arno Lamoer and three senior officers have been served with notices of intention to suspend them – but a source close to police said the four have already been suspended.
Lamoer and brigadiers Darius van der Ross, Kolindren Govender and Logambal Govender were granted R5 000 bail after appearing in the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court on Friday on a number of charges including corruption, money laundering and racketeering. A fifth and sixth co-accused, businessman Mohammed Saleem Dawjee and his son, Zameer, also appeared in the dock.
National police spokesman Lieutenant Solomon Makgale said police operations in the province would not be affected by the case and Major General Thembisile Patekile had been put in place as the acting provincial commissioner
“This acting arrangement will remain in place until further notice, to allow time for the National Commissioner to consult with relevant stakeholders before any decision is made. Major General Patekile will be assisted by three other deputy provincial commissioners.”
National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega expressed her confidence in Patekile. “Between Major General Patekile and the three other deputies, they boast about 120 years of policing experience. We are confident they will steer the ship in the right direction. All crime prevention and investigation initiatives will continue uninterrupted in the Western Cape. We reaffirm our commitment to fighting crime and creating a safe society.”
Makgale said the letter of intention to suspend the officers was served at the weekend.
“The SAPS is not funding General Lamoer’s legal expenses. His application was unsuccessful. Details of the disciplinary process will be released by the national commissioner during the course of this week. The SAPS is not funding the legal expenses of the three brigadiers.”
Lamoer and the three brigadiers are accused of having a corrupt relationship with Dawjee, who was said to have splashed on gifts for the accused officers. Dawjee is a known benefactor of the SAPS.
Lamoer and his co-accused face 109 counts, which include charges of corruption and racketeering.
Western Cape police’s crime intelligence were looking into the allegations. A court order was obtained to record their phone conversations after allegations emerged that they were accepting bribes from a businessman. Phiyega was then accused of having tipped off Lamoer about the investigation and she, in turn, accused crime intelligence of concocting a story to discredit her.
The NPA chose not to prosecute Phiyega after reviewing the matter.
Lamoer handed himself over at the Goodwood Police Station before appearing with his co-accused in the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court.
The matter has been postponed to June 12.
Cape Argus