A 48-year-old weigh bridge master who was arrested by the Hawks for allegedly requesting a bribe from a truck driver on the N4 is to appear in the Belfast Magistrate’s Court facing corruption-related charges.
The incident occurred on Saturday, September 7, when a traffic cop between Belfast and Wonderfontein stopped the truck driver. The Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (known as the Hawks) said the officer told the driver to go to the Wonderfontein weigh bridge so that it could be inspected.
The driver claims that after arriving, the weigh bridge master told him that his truck was seven tons overloaded and threatened to arrest him unless he paid a bribe of R6,000.
"The truck driver was left with no choice but to call his employer." said Hawks spokesperson Captain, Sekgotodi Dinneo.
After the truck owner agreed to pay R5,000, the money was deposited into the driver's FNB account and presented to the scale master. The motorist was then told by the official to withdraw the money from an ATM at a neighbouring garage.
The driver could only withdraw R3,000 and had R1,000 in his possession, he then photographed the money and handed a total of 4,000 to the scale master. The weighbridge official reportedly wanted an additional R2,500 via EFT.
Concerned about the situation, the truck owner notified the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), which then contacted the Hawks' Serious Commercial Crime Investigation section.
A crew from Middelburg and Secunda was sent to the weigh bridge where they arrested the scale master. Investigators located R1,500 on him, with the remainder of the bribe money, 2,500, buried behind bricks at the scene.
"The truck driver had photographed the money before handing it over, allowing us to match the serial numbers with those found in the possession of the accused," said Dineo.
The scale master is now facing charges under the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act 12. Dineo said that the defendant will remain in custody until his court appearance.
IOL