Africa-Press – South-Africa. Bagging another arrest in the R255 million Free State asbestos corruption case, the Hawks have apprehended the former head of the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements.
Margaret-Ann Diedricks, 56, was arrested on Wednesday and will now join Ace Magashule and businessman Edwin Sodi in the dock.
Hawks spokesperson Captain Christopher Singo said the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team in Bloemfontein arrested a 56-year-old person on Wednesday in Alberton.
Singo added: “It is alleged that during the period of 2014 and 2017, an irregular contract was awarded to a service provider for the eradication of asbestos roofs by the Department of Human Settlements, Free State. The suspect, who was the acting HOD of the Department of Human Settlements in Gauteng also authorised the same service provider irregularly in Gauteng. She then fraudulently received an amount of more than R7 million from the service provider.”
READ | Ace Magashule to appeal high court’s dismissal of his bid to challenge asbestos case prosecution
News24 previously reported that several other government officials, including former Free State premier Ace Magashule, Sodi, and Free State human settlements head of department Nthimotse Mokhesi, were charged with fraud, corruption, theft, and money laundering, among other charges, in the asbestos case.
The 2014 contract, the State alleged, would be defined by rent-seeking and corruption and would ultimately result in two subcontracted companies being paid R21 million to do the work, which was never actually completed. The rest of the money was allegedly pocketed by the accused.
Diedricks is reportedly expected to appear in the in Free State High Court in Bloemfontein on Thursday on charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering, and the contravention of the Public Finance Management Act.
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