During a sting operation in Parktown, Johannesburg, Hawks nabbed two suspects claiming to be attorneys.
The 35 and 43 year old false lawyers were arrested for allegedly trying to extort R67,000 from a Johannesburg hotel to reduce its rates bill.
They were arrested on Thursday.
According to Gauteng Hawks spokesperson Capt Ndivhuwo Mulamu, the two requested for thousands of rand from the hotel in order to get its R323,000 rates bill reduced.
Mulamu indicated that the pair posed as employees of a law firm contracted by the City of Johannesburg.
They both appeared in the Hillbrow magistrate’s court on Friday on corruption and extortion charges.
“Further investigation revealed that the suspects, who introduced themselves as Ncube Incorporated Attorneys employees contracted by City of Johannesburg to collect debt owed by its customers, demanded … compensation in order to reduce the utility bill again to R12,000,” said Mulamu.
“The Hawks’ serious corruption investigation [team] in Germiston and Johannesburg conducted a sting operation at a restaurant in Parktown, Johannesburg, on Thursday.”
“The suspects were immediately arrested in possession of R10,000 in cash.”
