Department of Employment and Labour welcomes the arrest of three suspects in a R27 million TERS fraud investigation led by the Hawks.
The Department of Employment and Labour has hailed the arrest of three Mpumalanga suspects linked to an alleged R27 million COVID-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) fraud involving more than 700 fictitious employees.
The suspects, reportedly a construction company director, his spouse and a relative, were arrested by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) following an extensive investigation into the alleged abuse of TERS funds administered through the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).
Authorities allege the trio fraudulently claimed TERS benefits for non-existent workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in losses of more than R26.9 million to the UIF.
The case stems from a joint investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit, the UIF, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), and the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit.
