Four Senior Gauteng Health Officials Arrested for Alleged Tender Irregularities
PRETORIA – The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (HAWKS) has arrested four former senior state officials on Thursday morning for alleged tender irregularities committed at the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH), in 2007, Haws announced in a statement today. The long-drawn-out case by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation emanates from February 2007, when the State […]
PRETORIA – The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (HAWKS) has arrested four former senior state officials on Thursday morning for alleged tender irregularities committed at the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH), in 2007, Haws announced in a statement today.
The long-drawn-out case by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation emanates from February 2007, when the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) submitted a proposal to the GDoH to continue with an information technology maintenance programme at the department.
The total cost of such a project should have been around R57 million for a period of three years. The contract was instead awarded to a private entity at a whopping cost of around R1.2 billion without following due tender procedures.
The four former state officials – which included a former Head of Department (HoD), who was also an Accounting Officer at the time, Chief Director of Information Communication and Technology, Head of Supply Chain Management and the Deputy Director for Executive Support – allegedly received kickbacks for their role in ensuring that the contract was awarded to the “undeserving entity”, said Hawks.
“Two private company directors who unduly benefited from the tender are yet to be charged along together with their two companies. The said directors are reportedly outside of the country but steps have already been initiated to ensure that they are accounted for,” said the statement.
The former state officials are expected to appear at the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crime Court today. They are to face charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).
On Sunday’s episode of Carte Blanche, the current affairs show examined President Ramaphosa’s strategy to claw back billions of rands from those involved in state capture and the looting of government and state-owned enterprises. If you’re overseas, you can catch up on Showmax International.