Hawks seize assets of Home Affairs fraud accused
The Hawks and the Asset Forfeiture Unit have secured a forfeiture order of R145 000 belonging to fraud and corruption accused Sambulo Tshabalala.
A TimesLIVE report says it is alleged Tshabalala had intended to bribe a Hawks officer with R122 600 of the seized amount for the release of his impounded vehicle and make his criminal case disappear in February 2020.
The Mpumalanga High Court (Mbombela) granted the forfeiture order on Tuesday.
Tshabalala was arrested for fraud and corruption in 2019 for allegedly bribing a Department of Home Affairs official. His Mercedes-Benz bakkie was seized during the arrest.
The Nelspruit Hawks serious corruption investigation unit also found him in possession of an unlicensed firearm.
Tshabalala was released on bail after appearing in court.
‘While on bail, Tshabalala allegedly tried to bribe a senior Hawks officer to release his vehicle and make his case disappear. He was again arrested in Middelburg for corruption when he was about to pay R122 600 to the senior Hawks officer,’ Hawks spokesperson Lt-Colonel Magonseni Nkosi said.
After his court appearance in Middelburg he was again released on bail.
Tshabalala has since failed to honour his court dates.
As a result, a warrant of arrest was issued for him.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
