Bloemfontein - Two employees of the Free State Department of Health have been arrested along with another person on charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering amounting to R9.2 million.
Nicholaas van Zyl Vermaak and Benjamin De Winnaar, both employees of the department, and their alleged accomplice Ann Voster, are facing 396 counts of fraud, six counts of corruption and one count of money laundering.
The accused, whose ages range from 30 to 60, were nabbed by the Scorpions in Bloemfontein on Thursday and briefly appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court were bail of R10 000 each was granted.
They were granted bail on condition they surrender their passports and report to the Investigating Officer twice a week. The case was postponed to 11 March in order for it to be transferred to the Regional Court.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Tlali Tlali, the State alleges that Mr Voster colluded with Mr Vermaak and Mr De Winnaar by criminally manipulating procurement and tender procedures to their advantage.
Their modus operandi allegedly involved the use of a company, camouflaged as three independent business entities when bidding for tenders to supply the department with information technology equipment.
Mr Tlali said the arrests follow an investigation authorised in April 2007, after the office of the Auditor-General identified areas of concern relating to the procurement process at the department.
The period under investigations was from April 2002 to December 2004.
"The office of the Auditor General identified some areas of concern relating to procurement processes in the Free State Health Department and recommended that an investigation be initiated.
"In April 2007, an investigation was authorised in terms of section 28 of the NPA Act to look into allegations of complicity on the part of the accused persons," he said.
More arrests are expected to be made since the investigations are still continuing.
