Pretoria - Police have arrested two immigration officers for corruption and defeating the ends of justice.
The two, Vusani Lalamani and Dimakatso Phaladi, both 33, based at OR Tambo International Airport, were arrested on Thursday after they were found to have been in possession of a passport belonging to a wanted Nigerian suspect, who is being sought for fraud and contempt of court.
SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo said the police’s suspicion was roused when their computer system, which is linked with that of Home Affairs at the airport, reported the presence of a wanted suspect at one of the immigration desks.
“Upon their arrival at the desk, they only found the immigration officer without the suspect. By then, the passport had already exchanged hands,” said Naidoo on Friday.
Investigations revealed that the two immigration officers have been working together.
“How they ended up in possession of the suspect’s passport is still being investigated.”
The duo appeared in court this morning and their case has been postponed to 29 April 2016 for further investigation. They were both granted bail of R2 000 each. – SAnews.gov.za
