Two former Mitchells Plain cops have been sent to jail for nine years after being found guilty of selling a docket for R40 000.
Nearly 10 years after the arrests of Jonathan Plaatjies, 54, and Morne Fasser, 41, their case was finally completed at the Bellville Commercial Crimes Court last week.
Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Zinzi Hani says the cops stationed at Mitchells Plain and Lentegeur police stations were also found in possession of entrapment money.
“They were dismissed from the SAPS and sentenced to nine years direct imprisonment each.
“This comes after their arrest in August 2014 by the Hawks’ Bellville Serious Corruption Investigation team reacting to information received that the two members sold a case docket to an accused for R40 000.”
Two years after their arrest, the duo went on trial where they pleaded not guilty to charges of extortion, one of corruption and one of defeating the ends of justice.
During the trial, the state’s star witness, Sumaya Kennedy, told the court they intended to burn her docket in a fire.
She was the accused in a number of drug-related criminal cases.
Prosecutor Xolile Jonas said in July 2014, Plaatjies informed Kennedy that he had spoken to Fasser, the investigating officer in her case, and “something could be done to help her”.
Kennedy told the court she knew of another resident in “the same business as me” whose house had been confiscated. She added: “I didn’t want to lose my house as well, and offered Fasser R10 000 cash and said it was all I had.
“Later, they informed me of a woman who had control of my dockets, who was willing to assist for R20 000, and soon afterwards they said there was a second woman who was also willing to help, but she also wanted R20 000.”
Kennedy said she did not have that sort of money, and approached a senior cop for advice.
This resulted in an undercover sting operation during which Kennedy handed over the money to the skelm cops and received a single docket.