Fraud accused linked to Cele hospitalised

2012-04-05 22:41

Johannesburg - Fraud accused Thoshan Panday was admitted to hospital after experiencing chest pains in the Durban Magistrate's Court, the Hawks said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Panday started feeling pain. The magistrate remanded the case to Tuesday and ruled he be kept in custody, Colonel McIntosh Polela said.

Panday was arrested on Tuesday on charges of corruption, incitement to commit corruption and conspiracy to commit fraud relating to an amount of just over R20m.

The Sunday Times reported that Panday, owner of Goldcoast Trading, was awarded a contract to provide accommodation to 1 280 police officers during the 2010 World Cup.

The contract did not go out to tender, in contravention of Treasury rules which state that all government contracts worth more than R500 000 should follow a bid process.

Suspended national police commissioner Bheki Cele allegedly signed off the tender, the newspaper reported.

Next Tuesday Panday is also expected to appear in court again on allegations that he tried to bribe Hawks KwaZulu-Natal head Johan Booysen with R2m to obtain a sensitive document central to a corruption investigation.

- SAPA