5 held for ID, marriage scam
2005-05-23 19:29
Kimberley - Five home affairs officials and an illegal immigrant appeared in Kimberley magistrate's court on Monday charged with corruption in connection with a fake ID and marriage scam.
Prosecutor Benjamin September said the case had been postponed to June 3 "to finalise investigations and determine a trial date".
Indhirai Nagel, Cornelia Gelderblom, Fumanekile Nikane, Zelda le Roux and Abdur Mohamed were arrested with 20 illegal Bangladeshi and Pakistani immigrants in April this year during a police raid in Kimberley.
Police found fake marriage certificates, passports and identity documents at their houses.
They allegedly also found the documents at the homes of two of the home affairs officials at the time.
An immigrant from Bangladesh, Abdus Khan, pleaded guilty to carrying illegal South African documents.
He was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment of which nine months was suspended for five years.
- SAPA