Two Ethiopian nationals have been arrested and charged after allegedly offering a bribe to a policeman to release a relative.
Image: Pexels
A man and woman were nabbed by the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (Hawks) for allegedly offering a bribe in a sting operation on Friday, January 31.
The pair who are Ethiopian nationals, 40-year-old Firehiwot Assego and Shanko Abose Gezahegna, 40, were arrested by the Hawks' Serious Corruption Investigation team in Kempton Park in Gauteng.
Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Lloyd Ramovha revealed that both of the suspects are asylum seekers in South Africa.
"The complainant, a warrant officer from Interpol in Pretoria, reported that on Friday, January 31, he had arrested Kadebe Shanko Abose, also an Ethiopian national, on an extradition matter involving charges of fraud, theft, and corruption reportedly committed in Eswatini," Ramovha said.
The accused was appearing in Kempton Park Court for violating the Immigration Act.
The police officer was later contacted by the two accused, Gezahegna, the suspect's brother, and the suspect's wife, Assego.
"They offered R40,000 in exchange for the release of the detained suspect. An arrangement was made for the same day at an eatery along Monument Road in Kempton Park. Meanwhile, the officer coordinated with the Hawks' SCI team."
The duo was nabbed after giving over the money to a police officer. They appeared in court on Monday, February 3, and the matter was postponed to Monday, February 10, awaiting additional investigation.
In a similar case, in December of 2024, an Eastern Cape tavern owner was arrested after attempting to bribe police with a "stack of cash".
Police from Komani, previously Queenstown, were carrying out Safer Festive Season operations in the early hours of the morning to reduce contact crimes. At approximately 1pm, they discovered a tavern that had remained open after the midnight curfew, and the cops told the proprietor to close the establishment and send the customers home.
However, the 45-year-old tavern owner approached them with a stack of money, allegedly as a bribe to keep the establishment open later in the morning.
Officers promptly arrested him and opened a case of bribery.
IOL