A 53-year-old SAPS captain accused of defrauding the police’s Protection and Security Services (PSS) division of millions of rand has been granted R50,000 bail by the Pretoria magistrate’s court.
Captain Johannes van Rensburg appeared in court on Tuesday, where he was formally charged with fraud and theft.
The arrest follows an internal investigation by the SAPS Financial Management Services division, which flagged suspicious transactions on the Polfin financial system.
According to police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe, Van Rensburg, who was attached to the finance section of the PSS, allegedly exploited his access to the system to withdraw large sums of money.
“It is alleged he manipulated financial records to authorise payments under the pretext that the funds were for travel expenses for close protection officers assigned to the Presidential Protection Services,” said Mathe.
However, investigators found that the money was not received by the intended beneficiaries and was instead withdrawn in cash.
A case of fraud was registered at Sunnyside police station, and an internal disciplinary process led to his suspension.
National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola welcomed the arrest, warning that corruption within the service would not be tolerated.
Van Renburg’s case has been postponed to July 30. He remains suspended from duty.
TimesLIVE
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