A 39-year-old Information Technology (IT) Executive at mobile network service provider Cell C has been arrested for his alleged role in fraud and corruption involving about R130m. The Hawks also have confirmed the arrest of Adriaan Pillay, a Former IT Executive at Cell C, for alleged fraud and corruption.
The Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team in Germiston said they arrested Pillay for alleged fraud and corruption involving an approximately R130-million tender scam.
He is the second IT professional to be arrested and charged in relation to the case. The co-accused, in this case, is Mohamed Ismail Adamjee, a previous IT manager at Cell C who was arrested last month in connection to the same tender scam.
It’s with the belief that these two accused were both IT executives, colluded with a director of a contracted entity responsible for IT and network services and falsely inflated invoices, which resulted in an actual loss of more than R130m from 2012 to 2019.
The financially-troubled mobile operator says it has a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal or unethical activity and will not hesitate to act on the evidence and take the appropriate action.
“The company acted swiftly on the matter of an employee being involved in an incident of collusion. Cell C is fully supporting the authorities in the case and will allow the law to take its course,” it says.
“They allegedly colluded with a director of a contracted entity responsible for IT and network service provider and falsely inflated invoices which resulted in an actual loss of over R130 million from 2012 to 2019,” the South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement.
The SAPS added that the Hawks’ investigation began last year following an internal audit that was done at the mobile operator which resulted in the arrest of Mohamed last month. Mohamed was released on R50,000 bail.
Pillay was arrested on Friday 5 February after a warrant of arrest was issued and he was subsequently charged with fraud and corruption, the SAPS said.
He appeared in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Monday 8 February, where he was also granted bail of R50,000. The case has been postponed to 14 April 2021, when Pillay will join his co-accused, Mohamed. “The investigation is continuing on this matter and more arrests are expected,” the SAPS said.
