Phahlane case postponed
Former acting national commissioner of the SA Police Service Lieutenant-General Johannes Khomotso Phahlane yesterday appeared briefly in the Pretoria Commercialised Crimes Court alongside his wife Beauty, as well as a Pretoria businessperson Durandt Snyman.
According to the charge sheet, the former top cop and his wife are facing six counts of corruption for allegedly receiving or accepting gratifications from Snyman – a used-car dealership owner.
Snyman is accused of helping forensic supplies companies which did business with the Saps to pay sizeable kickbacks to Phahlane and his wife, who is a brigadier, also serving in the Saps.
The Phahlanes and Snyman are out on R10 000 bail each.
Yesterday, Magistrate Nicca Setshogoe postponed the case to June 7 for the defence and state to sort out outstanding technical issues related to disclosures.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), the watchdog which probes crimes committed by Saps members, alleges that Snyman’s dealership was used by Forensic Data Analysts (FDA), which supplied the police with forensic equipment, to facilitate the kickbacks to the couple using vehicles purchased from the dealership.
Keith Keating, who owns FDA is accused of facilitating the payments.
Phahlane was the head of the Saps forensic unit at the time.
Last month, Ipid spokesperson Moses Dlamini said there was a strong case against Phahlane and his co-accused.
The amount involved in the case is in the region of R900 000 and the matter has been categorised as a schedule 5 offence – a serious crime.
The Phahlanes are accused of contravening the provisions of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act.
Last year, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) raided properties belonging to Phahlane and Keating.
Phahlane has previously publicly denied any corrupt deals and claims the cars were part of a sponsorship.
Snyman, on the other hand, reportedly insists he sponsored the cars – information which is contested by Ipid and the state.