Pretoria – Former national police commissioner, Khomotso Phahlane, has appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court on corruption and fraud charges related to two contracts valued at about R54 million,
Phahlane appeared alongside his co-accused Lieutenant-Colonel Godfrey Mahwayi, Major-General Maanda Obert Nemutandzhela, Major-General Mankosana Agnes Makhele, businessmen Inbanathan Kistiah and Avendra Naidoo.
The accused face multiple charges of fraud, corruption, theft, and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) relating to two contracts valued at approximately R54 million.
Their court appearance emanates from incidents of October 2015, wherein university students embarked on the “FeesMustFall” protests, with police dispatched to stabilise the violent unrest.
It is alleged that on 21 December 2016, the South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Intelligence Division embarked on an emergency procurement of software tools or systems.
RIPJAR was identified as the appropriate software package that could be used to collect and monitor information from social media platforms on the instigators of the student protests.
It, however, emerged that these “emergency” response measures came about in December 2016.
The protest had begun a year earlier in October 2015.
Furthermore, the accused allegedly attempted to purchase RIPJAR from a security alarms and surveillance cameras company, which did not deal in software.
Allegations were that the owners of the “competing companies” were friends involved in “cover quoting”.
Further allegations were that the cover quote was supplied to Inbanathan Kistiah by the former husband of the sole director of a company called Perfect Source, which was a human resource recruitment company.
Another mobile communication encryption software, known as Daedalus, which was solely used for encrypting calls and wiping out cellphone records and messages, was allegedly procured through deviation from standard procurement processes.
The payment was made a day after approval.
The software was also allegedly used to encrypt voice calls made by SAPS management when Phahlane was under investigation by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate.
The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court adjourned the corruption matter to 3 July 2024 for disclosure and transfer to the Pretoria Regional Court.
All the accused are out on bail.
“The State was ordered to disclose an outstanding document to one defense attorney by 17 May 2024,” said Investigating Directorate spokesperson, Henry Mamothame.