COP SUSPENDED FOR P100 BRIBE
A junior police officer at Woodhall Police Station has been suspended from duty for allegedly receiving an e-wallet of P100 as bribery through his cellphone.
Reliable sources revealed that the 52-year-old Constable, Pholoba Tshipiethata, has been suspended from duty since May 2nd, 2023 while his cellphone, together with the one for the man who corrupted him, have been confiscated and taken to Cyber Forensic Branch for thorough investigations.
It is alleged that last month, on the 30th of April around 10am, the officer stopped a truck belonging to Alight Integrated Company at a roadblock in Lobatse and, during inspection, he realised that the fire extinguisher expired in 2021.
“The police officer allegedly told the truck driver that to avoid the charges, he should give him some money, and the driver complied, offering to send him cash in his mobile phone through e-wallet mobile money services. The driver then reported the matter before Woodhall Police and later the officer was arrested,” explained a source.
Upon investigation, the police found an e-wallet message on their colleague’s cellphone and, when they checked, they did not find any record of an expired fire extinguisher case opened.
When reached for comment, Officer Commanding No.4 District (Lobatse), Senior Superintendent Sarah Gabathuse, confirmed that their office was investigating the allegations that a cop had received a bribe.
“When there are such allegations concerning an officer, we normally suspend the officer. These are just allegations, the court is the one to confirm if such allegations are true or not. The suspension takes three months and, during the fourth month, the officer will be interdicted if the case will not be ready to commence,” explained the top cop.
Meanwhile, when this reporter phoned requesting for Constable Tshipiethata, his colleague disclosed that he was on indefinite leave.
The cop is likely to face an official corruption charge and, if found guilty, he will be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years.