Africa-Press – South-Africa. Civil organisation Public Interest SA has called on the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) to suspend the dodgy R225 million IT contract awarded to three former OCJ officials.
In a letter to Memme Sejosengwe, the secretary-general of the OCJ, Public Interest SA called for the contract to be scrapped.
“On the basis of the publicly available information, including deemed probable cause that compelled your office to lodge a criminal complaint for investigation by the Hawks, it seems that sufficient and legally justifiable grounds for suspension and/or cancellation of the contract have been established,” wrote Public Interest SA chair Tebogo Khaas.
“Considering the nature and gravity of the allegations of impropriety, proceeding with implementation of the contract would not only be legally untenable but morally unjustifiable.”
Khaas called on the OCJ to lodge a civil claim for damages against those found liable for any losses suffered by the OCJ due to the contract.
On Tuesday, the Hawks conducted a search-and-seizure operation and raided the homes of the three senior former OCJ officials.
Hawks spokesperson, Captain Lloyd Ramovha, said the three were allegedly instrumental in setting up the six-year contract during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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At the heart of the probe is allegations that the trio reportedly set themselves up to benefit from a R225 million IT contract awarded to a multimedia and technology company.
“The contract in question relates to the national rollout of the digital electronic case management and litigation system, which was initiated at the high courts in Johannesburg and Pretoria to allow for virtual hearings,” Ramovha said.
The investigation comes after a Sunday Times investigation in June.
The newspaper reported that three senior officials are accused of corruptly setting themselves up for a large slice of the contract after they played a role in scoring the deal.
The three are former CFO Casper Coetzer, former spokesperson and chief director of court administration Nathi Mncube and former case management director Yvonne van Niekerk.
They all resigned in May. The three started new jobs as partners to media and technology company Thomson Reuters, which was awarded the R225 million, six-year contract by the OCJ.
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