World Cup saga: Former KZN police chief gets R20K bail

Former KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police commissioner Mmamonnye Ngobeni was released on bail of R20 000 on Monday,  having initially being sought by the authorities after she failed to show up at the Durban Magistrate’s Court last Friday.

The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Investigating Directorate had considered Ngobeni “at large”, but she finally appeared in court on Monday, alongside Aswin Narainpershad, who also could not be located at the time.

Narainpershad was also released on bail of R10 000.

Ngobeni and Narainpershad face fraud and corruption allegations related to the inflation of accommodation prices for KZN South African Police Services (SAPS) during the 2010 Fifa World Cup tournament hosted in South Africa.

The two also face further allegations of subsequent attempts to bribe a police officer.

“According to bail conditions, the two may not leave KZN and they must handover their passports to the Investigating Directorate,” NPA spokesperson Sipho Ngwema said in a statement.

Ngwema said the case was postponed to 11 November, which will see when Ngobeni  and Narainpershad join businessman Toshan Panday and senior police supply chain management unit head, Colonel Navin Madhoe, who had appeared in court on last Thursday.

Both Panday and Madhoe were released on bail after the brief appearance, with the former having to post R100 000 and the latter R10 000.

The state is expected to furnish the four with a charge sheet and the case docket, Ngwema said.

Background

Panday allegedly paid Ngobeni in exchange for her instructing former Hawks Major-General Johan Booysen to halt an investigation into a R47 million police accommodation fraud scheme.

The businessman allegedly ostensibly set himself up as a middleman to secure accommodation for thousands of police officers deployed for the World Cup with Madhoe and Narainpersha allegedly assisting him in the matter.

The millions that allegedly flowed into his bank accounts, and those controlled by his web of companies, set off alarm bells at police headquarters, with a probe then launched over the startling rise in his spending.

Investigating officers allegedly uncovered what they believed to be links to the highest officer in the province, with Panday paying for the surprise birthday party of Ngobeni’s husband, all while she knew he was under suspicion.

A forensic audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers, commissioned by the police, unearthed evidence of Panday’s quid pro quo – he allegedly scored millions in contracts while he allegedly showered Ngobeni, Madhoe and Narainpershad with gifts.

Additional reporting from News24 Wire

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