The three court officials have been accused of issuing fraudulent notices of motion to help foreigners evade deportation proceedings.
Three officials at the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria have been placed on precautionary suspension days after the Hawks raided the court during an investigation into the issuance of fraudulent notices of motion.
On Friday, 16 May, the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) said the three officials, whose identities have not yet been released, are suspects in an “ongoing investigation by the South African Police Service’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation [the Hawks] looking into fraudulent and corrupt activities in the court”.
“The OCJ takes a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and corruption and the officials were therefore placed on precautionary suspension to allow investigations to proceed without being compromised.”
On Tuesday, the Hawks conducted a search and seizure operation at the court, where officials are alleged to have been issuing fraudulent notices of motion to help foreigners avoid deportation. A notice of motion verifies that a party is going to court over a specific matter.
