Pretoria - Two former Crime Intelligence officers accused of defrauding the Secret Service Account of more than R1.2 million appeared briefly in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, where one of their bail conditions was amended.
Major-General Solly Lazarus, former chief financial officer of the Secret Service Account, and Colonel Heine Barnard, former head of logistics at the unit, heard yesterday that they may not speak to any politicians or cabinet members to discuss “directly and indirectly” any aspects of the case against them without informing the National Director of Public Prosecutions.
State prosecutor advocate Gerrie Nel did not give reasons for this. A provisional trial date was set for the end of the month.
The two are charged with theft, fraud and two counts of corruption. Both were suspended from their duties.
During their first court appearance last year, Nel said the charges against the two were not linked to former crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli, but were linked to the same secret account that was allegedly used by Mdluli.
Similar charges against Mdluli, of looting the Secret Service Account, were last year mysteriously withdrawn.
Pretoria News