INLSA
Thoshan Panday
Umhlanga businessman Thoshan Panday, now accused of attempting to bribe a second police officer and of fraud involving R20 million, is to spend Easter at a hospital under guard.
Panday was arrested on Tuesday along with police supply-chain management officer Captain Aswin Narainpershad on charges of conspiracy and incitement to commit fraud and corruption.
They spent the night at Durban Central police station cells and looked tense at yesterday’s brief court appearance
Panday, 40, was seen by his doctor before the hearing. After negotiations between State advocate Dorian Paver and Panday’s advocate, Joe Wolmerans, it was agreed that, while he would be kept in custody until at least Tuesday – when a bail application would be heard – he would be taken to eThekwini Heart Hospital yesterday.
Wolmerans told magistrate Lincoln Matjele that Panday needed urgent treatment from a cardiologist.
“Once treated, he will be returned to Westville Prison, or be brought to court on Tuesday, whichever comes first,” he said.
The State is not opposing bail for Narainpershad and he will make an application to court this morning.
Panday’s situation is different because he faces a corruption charge over an alleged attempt to bribe Hawks provincial boss Major-General Johan Booysen.
While not charged, he is also under investigation for a R60m police accommodation tender rigging scam, along with another supply chain management official, Colonel Navin Madhoe, who is also charged with the Booysen bribe attempt.
Panday and Narainpershad are charged with corruption for allegedly offering R1m in cash to Captain Kevin Stephen for his help in generating false invoices for submission to the police service.
Stephen, who is stationed at Umbilo police station, once worked for the public order policing unit, which needed accommodation for members deployed away from home.
The State accuses Panday and Narainpershad of conspiracy to commit fraud between December 2011 and March this year and incitement to commit fraud for hiring Stephen to do the crime.
The Mercury understands that the State will allege that the three created fictitious documents to be submitted to the police service.
It is believed the State will allege that this was, in part, designed to recover R16m Panday claims he is owed by the police, but which was frozen when the investigation into the R60m fraud began.
The Booysen corruption matter has been transferred to the Durban High Court and a trial date will be set next month.
