The NPA's Asset Forfeiture Unit has seized a Ferrari, classical instruments, foreign currency and a range of high-end jewellery as part of a R102 million restraint order against a father and son accused of defrauding the SAPS.
According to the Investigating Directorate, members of the SAPS Supply Chain Management division allegedly colluded with the Chetty family and defrauded the SAPS of tens of millions of rands.
The directorate’s Sindisiwe Seboka said Kishene Chetty and his father, Krishna Chetty, controlled the 26 companies awarded SAPS tenders. The men are part of a larger group nabbed on similar charges.
She said the 45 people whose assets had been restrained were facing charges relating to 53 contracts that were unlawfully awarded to the 26 companies.
“It is alleged that fraudulent broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) certificates were submitted in support of written price quotations, and that the 26 companies were involved in cover quoting. The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, granted the restraint order last month, calling upon the accused and those who may claim to have interest in the restrained property to show cause on the return date why the order should not be made final,” Seboka said.
She said the court found the accused allegedly acted in collusion to make false representations in their tender bid to the police, as a result of which two national tenders, valued at R59m and R29m plus 48 contracts worth R9.8m, which fell under the R500 000 threshold, were awarded.
Seboka said the R59 million tender was for branding of police vehicles.
"One of the companies that were awarded contracts has a white woman listed as the sole director who misrepresented that she was an African female. Vatika was 100% white female owned, and the latter did not meet the requirements to be exempted as a micro-enterprise because it had, at the time, an annual total revenue of more than R38 million for the year 2018," Seboka said.
She added that on receipt of the funds paid by the SAPS in relation to the tenders, Vatika, Kgotho and Isimbali laundered most of the funds to other companies beneficially owned by the Chettys.
"In total, R59 million was paid to Vatika and Kgotho, despite the fact that the financial implications of the tender were only R50m. The latter amount included Value Added Tax,“ Seboka stated.
The accused are facing prosecution and will appear in the Pretoria Regional Court again in December 2023.
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