EMPD officer, co-accused remain behind bars over alleged R14.9m precious stones robbery

An Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officer and his co-accused have appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances and fraud linked to the alleged theft of precious stones worth about R14.9 million.

EMPD officer Adrian Norman Mackenzie and Etienne van der Walt appeared in court after being accused of robbing a complainant of six boxes containing high-grade sugilite and manganese stones at premises in Killarney, Johannesburg, on 11 February 2023.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the pair allegedly assaulted the complainant while armed with firearms and threatened to inflict grievous bodily harm before taking possession of the stones.

The State further alleges that Mackenzie, another EMPD official and their civilian co-accused falsely presented themselves as members of a multi-disciplinary law enforcement team made up of EMPD officials and members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), purportedly investigating lithium smuggling.

“The accused allegedly falsely represented themselves as members of a multi-disciplinary law enforcement team comprising EMPD and Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) officers investigating alleged lithium smuggling activities,” the NPA said.