A man charged with Covid-19 corruption at the labour department has been granted bail.
Thabo Simbini (32) appeared in the Pretoria specialised commercial crimes court for his bail hearing on Friday 24 March.
He is accused of falsifying unemployment insurance fund (UIF) claims, and submitting fraudulent temporary relief scheme (Ters) applications for 8 107 ghost employees in October 2020.
According to Hawks spokesperson Captain Lloyd Ramovha, Simbini claimed more than R111-million, which was consequently paid into his personal bank accounts.
He said law enforcement seized Simbini’s bank accounts before arresting him.
Gauteng Hawks head Major-General Ebrahim Kadwa said it was sad to see that there were individuals who selfishly saw an opportunity to enrich themselves during such a devastating pandemic that gripped the country and the world.
“The Hawks will stop at nothing to ensure that justice is not only served but also seen to be served,” Kadwa said.
Department Director-General Thobile Lamati said the department was thankful for the outstanding work by all law enforcement agencies responsible for ensuring the workers’ hard-earned money was returned to them.
“Those who have gained illegally from the money that we were paying to assist workers through the difficult lockdown will not escape,” Lamati said.
The case was postponed to June 27 for disclosure.
Simbini is out on R15 000 bail.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram