Cop in court over petrol scam
2007-12-04 15:51
Cape Town - An alleged scam involving police petrol card numbers that were used to steal nearly R30 000 in cash at a petrol filling station in Khayelitsha, has landed a police constable in court, facing charges of corruption.
Constable Phumlani Antonio Qomfo appeared in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Tuesday, before Magistrate Amrith Chabilall, who scheduled Qomfo's trial for May 20 next year.
He will be charged with corruption involving R29 692.
Prosecutor Sylvan Africa alleged that Qomfo, while based at the Khayelitsha police station, supplied three staff members at a nearby petrol station shop with police petrol card numbers, for the four months between June and September last year.
The charge sheet names the staff members as Margaret Makanda and Xoliswa Veronica Malgas, who were cashiers.
The third, Monwabisi Victor Martin, worked in the shop.
It is alleged that Qomfo gave the card numbers to Martin, who gave them to the two cashiers.
Fictitious transactions
It is alleged that the cashiers then manually punched the card numbers into the computerised till, instead of "swiping" them in, and in doing so made fictitious petrol transactions.
If a particular "transaction" involved R500 petrol, each of the three would keep an amount for themselves, and give the balance to Qomfo, according to Africa.
It is alleged that Qomfo also used some of the money to fill his own private car with petrol.
Martin and the two cashiers had been subpoenaed to attend Tuesday's proceedings as prosecution witnesses, but were absent.
Africa requested warrants for their arrest, but because the subpoenas did not bear their signatures as proof of receipt, Chabilall declined to authorise the warrants.
In another development, defence attorney Asghar Mia told the court Martin was personally known to him, which meant Mia had to withdraw as the defence attorney for ethical reasons.
Mia told the court he would be replaced by William Booth.
- SAPA