Immigration official accused of corruption, extortion gets R5,000 bail

An immigration official was granted R5,000 bail in the Kempton Park Regional Court in Gauteng on Wednesday when he appeared on charges of corruption, extortion and defeating the ends of justice.

Sam Jan Langa, 52, who worked at the Department of Home Affairs’ national office, allegedly demanded over R100,000 from a foreign businessman to ensure he, as well as other foreign nationals, would not be deported.

According to police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo, Langa’s bail was granted on condition that he does not interfere with witnesses, hands over his passport to the investigating officer and reports to his nearest police station once a week.

“At approximately 17:40 on 9 January 2020, Langa was arrested during a sting operation at the OR Tambo International Airport departure terminal after allegedly excepting the ‘bribe money’,” Naidoo said.

The matter was handed over to the National Cold Case Investigation Team for investigation on Monday.

The trial has been postponed to March 2, 2020.

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