The Public Protector is probing the controversial R225 million IT tender at the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ).
This is according to pressure group Public Interest SA, which says it was notified of the probe last week by the office the Public Protector.
Public Interest SA is one the organisations that has been calling for a meticulous investigation of the matter since it became public that ex-staffers in the OCJ were allegedly conflicted in the manner the tender was awarded.
The Sunday Times first reported on the case, saying former chief financial officer Casper Coetzer, spokesperson and chief director of court administration Nathi Mncube and case management director Yvonne van Niekerk assumed new roles as 30% sub-contractors to Thomson Reuters after playing a part in awarding a R225 million CaseLines deal to the company.
Thomson Reuters and the implicated former officials have all denied wrongdoing.
Yesterday, the police’s elite investigating unit, the Hawks, raided the premises of the three parties.
The Hawks said preferred charges would be that of fraud, corruption in terms of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act and the contravention of the Cyber Crimes Act.
No arrests have been made as yet, as investigations continue, the Hawks said in a statement.
Public Interest SA welcomed the search and seizure operation conducted by the Hawks, saying the office of the Public Protector is launching a separate investigation.
“The Office of the Public Protector last week formally notified Public Interest SA of that office’s decision to initiate an official investigation into the OCJ procurement matter. We will issue a statement upon receipt of a progress report in this regard.”
Commenting further, Tebogo Khaas, chairman of Public Interest SA, says: “Any investigation that doesn’t seek to establish circumstances surrounding the award of the related pilot project will only yield limited and unsatisfactory outcomes. The Hawks must get to the bottom of this stench.
“Further, like we already did in the past, we beseech the OCJ to suspend the contract. This includes suspending remitting any payments related thereto pending the finalisation of the Hawks’ investigation.
“Considering the gravity of the allegations and the apparent prima facie case of possible wrongdoing, it would, in fact, be prudent for the OCJ to cancel the tender award and restart the procurement process afresh. In this regard, we will be writing to the OCJ to demand that our proposal be seriously considered.”
The Public Protector’s office had not responded to ITWeb’s request for comment at the time of publication.
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