Ex-correctional services boss gets bail
Mti charged with contravening Public Finance Management Act and corruption as Hawks seek further evidence
THE Hawks are frantically searching for any piece of additional evidence which could lead to the successful prosecution of former correctional services boss Linda Mti and his coaccused charged with R1.6 billion in allegedly fraudulent Bosasa tenders.
Yesterday, Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi confirmed that his team of investigators went to Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape – the birthplace of Mti – following reports that some of the documents needed for their investigations were being destroyed.
Mulaudzi made the comments a few minutes after the court appearance of Mti, who was charged yesterday in the Pretoria Special Commercial Crimes Court with contravention of the Public Finance Management Act and corruption.
He said the Hawks would conduct search-and-seizure operations to obtain any further information to assist them with prosecuting the accused in the Bosasa scandal.
Yesterday, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) added Mti as the sixth accused person among those who will be facing trial.
The seventh suspect, who is believed to be in the US, is due to be flown to South Africa to join his co-accused, who include former Bosasa executive Angelo Agrizzi, former correctional services chief financial officer Patrick Gillingham, and Bosasa officials Andries van Tonder, former senior manager Frans Vorster and incumbent employee Carlos Bonifacio.
The State is due to officially add the names of three companies in the charge sheet along with the accused when they appear in court again on March 27.
The arrests are related to a 2009 Special Investigating Unit report related to four Bosasa contracts with correctional services.
Mti made a lone appearance in court yesterday, after almost two hours of official arrest procedures, before his spell in the Pretoria Special Commercial Crimes Court.
HE was not asked to plead to the charges.
He arrived in court just after 1pm and appeared unfazed.
Dressed elegantly as always, he walked slowly to court 19 accompanied by his legal representative and some of the Hawks investigators.
Inside court, Mti had to initial his sworn affidavit as required by any accused person facing a Schedule 5 offence – which required him to give finer details which would allow him, without any opposition, to be released on bail.
Mti, through his legal counsel, advocate SW van der Merwe, told the court that he was married and had immovable property worth R5 million and movable property in excess of R1m.
Mti admitted that he had a previous conviction of drunken driving in 2009 when he paid a fine of R20000.
Advocate Van der Merwe did not reveal details of his client’s Schedule5 application as the State had already indicated that they had no difficulties in granting him bail.
After his appearance, which lasted just over 10 minutes, Mti was escorted to the holding cells while his lawyer drove to the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court, a few metres away, to pay his bail of R20000.
Van der Merwe managed to pay for bail soon after the Magistrate’s Court opened after lunch.
Mti told the court that he
was married and had immovable property worth R5 million and movable property in
excess of R1m