The Special Tribunal has granted an order freezing the pension benefits of former Department of Public Works and Infrastructure chief works inspector, Clive Charlton.
According to Special Investigating Unit (SIU) spokesperson, Kaizer Kganyago, the order is related to alleged wrongdoing on the part of Charlton, where allegedly fraudulent contractor invoices were paid out – leading to financial losses for the department.
Kganyago said Charlton was responsible for verifying invoices and supporting documents as “they carried a 20% mark-up” to be paid to the contractor.
“Between 2014 and 2018, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) had appointed NECS [Electrical Consulting] as a service provider to render electrical maintenance and repair services in respect of buildings owned by the [department].
“NECS allegedly submitted various falsified/and or fraudulent supplier invoices to the DPWI and overcharged the DPWI, for which it suffered financial losses to the value of R510 042.60.
“The SIU investigation revealed that Mr. Charlton allegedly failed to perform his duties with due diligence and failed to verify with the subcontractors whether invoices were correct and authentic,” Kganyago said on Tuesday.
The Special Tribunal order interdicts the Government Employee Pension Fund from paying out at least R510 000 in benefits due to Charlton.
“The order will operate as an interim interdict, pending the final determination of an action to be instituted by the SIU in the Special Tribunal against Mr. Charlton and NECS Electrical Consulting (NECS) within 30 days,” Kganyago said.
He explained that the corruption busting unit applies for freezing orders to ensure that the State is able to recover any monies lost through corrupt or fraudulent activities in government departments.
“The SIU applies for preservation orders to freeze assets, bank accounts, and pension benefits early in its investigations when it identifies evidence pointing to wrongdoing against officials and service providers. This is to ensure that implicated parties do not dissipate assets and make it difficult for the SIU to recover financial losses suffered by the State when the matter is finalised,” Kganyago said.
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