A ‘fake quadriplegic’ accused of defrauding the Road Accident Fund of millions of rands appeared briefly before the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court yesterday. The Mercury reports Mohamed Ebrahim (56) was expected to apply for bail but his case was postponed to later this week. Ebrahim stands accused of feigning injuries, as a result of an accident the state has alleged he was not even involved in, so that he could claim from the RAF.

Some of the claims made included that he had been left paralysed from the neck down, was unable to do anything for himself and needed adult diapers. The RAF footed the bill for modifications to Ebrahim’s house and car.

Now, however, the state has alleged that it was all a lie. It said Ebrahim has a regular driver’s licence and that he was arrested while driving an unmodified car. The state has alleged that Ebrahim, who had said he was a passenger and that his son was driving at the time of the accident, was not even in the car and that he defrauded the RAF out of R6m.

Full report in The Mercury (subscription needed)