Police arrest a 39-year-old Eastern Cape official accused of defrauding over R150,000 in fuel expenses using a departmental fleet card.
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A 39-year-old office manager at the Eastern Cape Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has been arrested for allegedly orchestrating a R150,000 fuel card fraud scheme involving multiple government vehicles.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as the Hawks) Komani-based Serious Corruption Crime Investigation team, in collaboration with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), executed a J175 warrant on January 14, leading to the arrest of a departmental office manager accused of defrauding government resources.
The allegations arose when the Assistant Director of Security Management and Anti-Corruption Services at Cogta lodged a complaint about potential "fruitless and wasteful expenditure" linked to fuel usage.
Reports revealed the office manager allegedly misused a departmental fleet card meant for refueling official vehicles.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba said investigations uncovered alarming discrepancies between kilometres travelled and fuel consumption in records between April and August 2022.
The investigation further revealed a fraudulent scheme.
“The suspect allegedly used the fleet card to refuel the designated vehicle at a petrol station, then returned with another vehicle to refuel using the same card. This practice resulted in an actual loss of approximately over R150,000 to the department,” said Fumba.
The matter, initially flagged internally, was escalated to the Hawks, who discovered the extent of the irregularities during their probe.
The accused is expected to make a first court appearance at Cofimvaba Magistrate’s Court on January 31.
IOL
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