Hawks get bragging rights over high-profile arrests, retirement of ‘bumbling’ top cop – ​​2oceansvibe News

(image source:ofmnews)

The South African police still have a long way to go to get our country out of grey status, as it is one of the most corrupt and dangerous countries in the world.

But they are making good progress so far, with the key changes to the Hawks’ top management being a good step forward.

According to Hawks head Lt Gen Godfrey Lebeya, who presented the entity’s successes at a press conference on Sunday, the head of the Serious Organized Crime Branch, Major General Alfred Khana, will step down on August 31. He will be succeeded by Brigadier General Hennie Flynn with effect from September 1, 2024.

Khana (pictured above) was accused of botching the Steinhoff case and sabotaging the investigation into corruption at Prasa, as revealed in Jacques Pauw’s book Our poisoned countryreports TimesLIVE.

In addition, the Divisional Commissioner, Lt. Gen. Senaba Mosipi, will step down on September 30 and his successor, to be announced on September 1, will be appointed with effect from October 1, the minister said.

Otherwise, the Hawks investigated more than 18,461 cases involving 752,712 charges and worth more than R1 billion from the previous financial year. This includes a 185-year prison sentence for unlicensed firearms possession, a R600 million SARS fraud case and the R1.6 million Zizi Kodwa corruption case involving EOH boss Jehan Mackay.

“Of these cases, 5,616, involving 11,972 suspects, have been brought before the various courts in the country, while 1,788 cases are being handled by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to decide whether to prosecute or not.

“A total of 673 suspects, representing 637 natural persons and 36 legal persons (entities), were brought before the various courts in the country. Of the former, 489 are South Africans and 148 are foreigners,” Lebeya said.

Most arrests were made in Gauteng, followed by KwaZulu-Natal, North West, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape.

The Hawks have successfully tackled a range of crimes, including serious corruption and organised crime, fraud, money laundering, police killings, cash-in-transit robberies, illegal mining, damage to essential infrastructure and crimes against the state.

Speaking of organised crime, Lebeya mentioned that the Hawks conducted over 34 project-driven investigations in the last quarter but only concluded four successfully, resulting in 35 arrests. He highlighted a specific case involving a Namibian national who was caught with 12 weapons at a police blockade. The man was successfully prosecuted and given a hefty 185-year prison sentence for multiple charges including possession of illegal firearms, perverting the course of justice and reckless driving. Lebeya clarified that the man will receive 20 years in prison.

In the category of serious corruption, Lebeya cited the arrests of Kodwa and Mackay, and their appearances in court, as well as the 46-year prison sentences for two former police officers and a 10-year prison sentence for a Pakistani national.

When it came to serious commercial crime, Lebeya highlighted several cases, including the arrests and court appearances of former KPMG stockbroker Fidelis Moema and his co-defendant, the arrest of a former Star Schools CFO along with her family, and the staggering 291-year prison sentence imposed on a former MMG employee for fraud.

In addition, a transnational organized crime group was sentenced to a combined 11,052 years in prison for “391 counts of money laundering, fraud, forgery, uttering, assisting another to benefit from illegal activities, acquiring and possessing or using proceeds of illegal activities,” among other offenses.

Plus 10 SA Revenue Service (Sars) employees – based at Ficksburg Bridge, Maseru Bridge and Van Rooyen’s Hek Bridge – who allegedly facilitated 333 transactions worth a total of R653,500,455, appeared in the Lady Brand District Court on June 10 and July 16 on charges including fraud, money laundering and contravention of the Tax Administration Act, he said.

Keep it up, Hawks.

(source:timeslive)