Nine law enforcement officers in court for corruption, extortion

Photo for illustration. (Photo: X)

Nine law enforcement officers from Gauteng are expected to appear in the Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg on Friday on charges of corruption, extortion and trespassing.

The suspects were apprehended by the Falcons in several areas in the early hours of the morning on Thursday.

Col. Katlego Mogale, spokesperson for the Falcons, says a complaint was received on Wednesday that three suspects arrived at a warehouse in Crown Mines, followed by six metro police officers.

They apparently indicated that they wanted to search the warehouse.

During the search they found a box of hair dyes and one of the officers indicated that it had expired and threatened the complainant with arrest or to pay them money.

“The complainant contacted the Hawks and reported the case. Upon their arrival at the scene, all nine suspects were arrested.”

The preliminary investigation indicates that the officers conducted a search in an area outside their jurisdiction. It also came to light that four of the officers carried out a search while they were not on duty.

In a second unrelated incident, four police officers were notified to appear in court in connection with an incident two years ago. In this case, it is alleged that six officers in official police vehicles entered a man’s house and demanded money, after an illegal search had apparently been carried out.

Maj. Gen. Ebrahim Kadwa, the provincial head of the Hawks in Gauteng, congratulated the respective investigation teams and also warned members that corruption will not be tolerated.