Police have arrested three people involved in a multi-million-rand fraud and money laundering scheme at the University of Fort Hare.
The arrests by the serious corruption investigation team, based in East London, Eastern Cape, were a major win in the fight against corruption in the educational system.
Simbongile Geqeza (41), the institution’s former acting chief financial officer; Isaac Plaartjies (57), the former head of investigation and vetting; and Claudine Davids (44), a family friend, appeared before the Alice magistrate’s court on Wednesday to respond to accusations of fraud, money laundering, and corruption.
The arrests follow a probe by the Hawks’ serious corruption investigation team, which discovered two fraudulent schemes that stole more than R2-million from the university.
Fraudulent transactions uncovered
Lieutenant-Colonel Avele Fumba, a spokesperson for the Hawks, stated that the case dates back to September 2021, when Geqeza allegedly gave a bank a fraudulent instruction that allowed an unlawful payment of R1.4-million to a business that had no legal connection to the university.
The scheme came to light when the Hawks were notified by university administration about financial irregularities.
“During the meticulous investigation conducted by the Hawks, a second fraudulent transaction was uncovered, involving a payment of R985 000 to a service provider for investigative services that were never rendered,” said Fumba.
“Furthermore, the service provider allegedly claimed to have assisted the Hawks during the university investigation even though no services were being provided.”
Suspects out on R1 000 bail each
Plaartjies allegedly worked with the claimant to facilitate the payment, and the money was allegedly transferred to Davids.
“The suspects were arrested in different parts of the country during a coordinated Hawks operation on Tuesday.”
The case has been rescheduled for next week for additional investigation, and the accused have been granted R10 000 bail.
The university has been in the news lately for corruption and criminal activity, which led to the death of the vice-chancellor’s bodyguard.
