Senior botanist and police officers in court for fraud related to poached plants

A Senior Botanical Horticulturist with the South African National Botanical Institute (SANBI), Adam Harrower, appeared in the Springbok District Court where he is facing charges of fraud and corruption related to poached plants.

On Friday, Harrower joined his two co-accused including a former police officer, Captain Karel Coetzee Du Toit, and Warrant Officer Leonard William Landrew.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in the Northern Cape, Mojalefa Senokoatsane, said Captain Coetzee Du Toit, who served as the Commander of the Stock Theft Unit, and Landrew are facing charges of fraud, theft, defeating the administration of justice, contravention of the Tourism Act, and corruption.

Senokoatsane said Harrower as an employee of SANBI, allegedly submitted fraudulent invoices for work done to the Springbok Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit, using a business registered in his wife's name, Cape May Landscapes Close Corporation, despite being an employee of the state.

“These invoices were processed and paid without a proper contractual agreement between SAPS and Cape May Landscapes. It has come to light that Captain Coetzee Du Toit approved these payments without the authority to do so,”

Harrower made his first court appearance on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, and the matter was rolled over to Friday so that he could join his co-accused, Du Toit and Landrew after they first appeared in August.

Du Toit is currently out on R50,000 bail while Landrew and Harrower were released on R20,000 bail each.

Senokoatsane said bail conditions for all the accused are that they should not to intimidate witnesses or interfere with the ongoing investigation, and they have been required to surrender their passports.

The matter has been postponed to December 3 for further investigations.

sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.com

IOL News

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 19:02:07 GMTSinenhlanhla Masilela

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