Man to appear in EC court over fraud, corruption linked to RAF funds

A 52-year-old man accused of misappropriating RAF funds will appear in court. Stock photo.
A 52-year-old man accused of misappropriating RAF funds will appear in court. Stock photo.
Image: 123RF

A 52-year-old-man is set to appear in an Eastern Cape court on Thursday over his alleged misappropriation of RAF funds meant for his client.

The man was arrested on Wednesday by the Hawks' East London-based serious commercial crime investigation team and their crime intelligence counterparts. 

Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Avele Fumba explained what happened.

“The investigation stems from an alleged hit and run incident that occurred at the intersection of Voortrekker Road and Emily Hobhouse Road in the Goodwood area of Cape Town in July 2011. It is reported, a minor was struck by an unidentified vehicle that fled the scene,” Fumba said.

“Subsequent to the incident, a claim was filed with the Road Accident Fund (RAF) on behalf of the minor through legal representatives based in Southernwood, East London. However, inquiries by the victim revealed discrepancies as the purported successful claim of more than R2m was allegedly deposited into a trust account of the law firm where the suspect served as the sole signatory.”

The matter was reported to the Hawks, who discovered that the funds never reached the victim but were instead allegedly “misappropriated by the suspect for his personal use”.

The man faces fraud and corruption charges and will appear in the East London specialised commercial crimes court on February 8.

TimesLIVE


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