The Hawks, an elite police force, has detained two former top officials from South Africa’s state-owned ports and freight train operator Transnet for alleged corruption under former President Jacob Zuma.
Anoj Singh, the company’s top financial officer, and Brian Molefe, its CEO, were both famously detained early on Monday morning.
Lawyers for Anoj, according to reports, insist on his innocence. According to the same source, Mr. Molefe has stated his intention to enter a not guilty plea.
Both parties have been implicated in a high-profile fraud and corruption case involving the purported payment of a bribe to a company in order to purchase more than 1,000 trains.
The defendants, who are in court right now, are accused with fraud, corruption, and money laundering.
The infamous Gupta brothers, who have not yet been extradited from the UAE, are believed to have received kickbacks from the transaction. Previously, they have refuted accusations of corruption.
The arrests follow the hearing of incriminating evidence concerning how executives from various government-owned entities were involved in corruption by the judicial committee of inquiry headed by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
Top leaders of the ruling ANC party, private businesspeople, and individuals connected to former President Zuma, who was overthrown in 2018, allegedly benefitted from the corruption.
A number of other well-known figures were detained earlier this year for their alleged involvement in the case.
It should be recalled that last week, a Tanzanian government employee Jonas Afumwisye was relieved of his job for opposing the introduction of charges for mobile money transfers on social media.
Afumwisye, a regional manager for Tanzania Railways Corporation said that he has received a sack letter and would appeal to the Public Service Commission.