Hawks nab three directors for stealing relief supplies worth R5m

The Hawks have arrested three directors in Johannesburg for allegedly defrauding R5 million worth of foodstuffs donated by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to the World Food Programme (WFP) for humanitarian relief.

Hawks spokesperson Captain Lloyd Ramovha on Wednesday said the supplies, which included tons of refined vegetable oil and yellow split peas, were meant for a relief operation in Malawi.

Ramovha said the case emerged in June 2017 after the South African Revenue Service (Sars) registered a criminal case of fraud in contravention of the Value Added Tax Act and Excise Act 2017 after it became clear something was amiss.

“The Hawks were then entrusted with the investigation which shed light on the fact that the goods were initially stored in a bonded warehouse in Durban,” Ramovha said in a statement.

“The suspects’ company was tasked to transport the food but this never took place. It has since emerged that the goods never left the Republic of South Africa but were instead sold for self-gain inside the country at the detriment of the needy.”

The suspects – aged 51, 44 and 62 – are expected to appear in the Palm Ridge Commercial Crime Court on Tuesday, 8 June 2021 to face a raft of charges.

READ NEXT: Bogus Hawks investigator demands R60K to make murder case disappear