Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) commissioner, Dr Nomsa Praisy Masuku, has been granted bail after she appeared on fraud-related charges in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, sitting in Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
According to the Directorate for Priority Crimes (also known as the Hawks), she was arrested for allegedly pocketed R1.2 million from a trust set up for underprivileged learners.
Hawks spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale said Masuku, 62, was entrusted with managing the Corporate Social Investment Programme (CSI) at Standard Bank.
Mogale explained that the ex-employee was the Head of the CSI Programme for the "Adopt A School Trust", established to provide scholarships, bursaries and awards of study, researching or teaching to learners from schools adopted by Standard Bank's "Adopt a School" programme for those individuals who qualify and meet the selection criteria to further their studies at any recognised institutions higher learning.
"Through an intensive probe, the Hawks investigators established that the incumbent flouted the processes of the trust by awarding scholarships to friends and family members through manipulation of documents and without the approval of the Committee, with some of the monies deposited directly into her personal bank account to the tune of R1.2 million," Mogale said.
The accused was granted R20,000 fixed bail and the case was postponed to September 4.
IOL News