The corruption case involving former acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane and several senior police officials over a R191 million SAPS emergency warning equipment tender has been provisionally withdrawn.
Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) spokesperson Henry Mamothame said the decision was taken after acting IDAC director advocate Ntuthuzelo Vanara carefully assessed the matter.
Vanara is expected to examine certain aspects of the case before prosecutors place it back on the court roll, Mamothame said.
The case had already undergone scrutiny by an IDAC review panel, which concluded that the investigation had been properly authorised and was within the directorate’s jurisdiction.
Phahlane and his co-accused were facing multiple charges, including corruption, fraud, theft and money laundering arising from a 2016 SAPS contract for emergency warning equipment.
The contract, valued at more than R191 million, resulted in R65 million being paid to Instrumentation for Traffic Law Enforcement (Pty) Ltd, the company appointed to provide the equipment.
Investigators also managed to stop an additional R22 million payment from being made while the probe was at an advanced stage.
The case also implicated former deputy national commissioner for human resources management Lt-Gen Bonang Mgwenya, former Gauteng police commissioner Deliwe de Lange and Gauteng deputy police commissioner Nombhuruza Lettie Napo.
Other police officials charged were retired divisional commissioner Lt-Gen Ramahlapi Johannes Mokwena, retired Maj-Gen Ravichandran Pillay, Col Thomas Dumas Marima and Sgt Maetapese Joseph Mulaiwa.
The civilian accused are Judy Rose, Samantha Andrews and Vimpie Manthata, who owns Instrumentation for Traffic Law Enforcement.
The accused had previously asked the court to remove the case from the roll, but the application was unsuccessful, Mamothame said.
