A 39-year-old foreign national, Raphael Mupaya, has been charged with bribery after allegedly attempting to offer a police officer a substantial sum of money to influence a court decision.
Mupaya appeared before the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, November 13, where his case was postponed for a formal bail hearing set for November 20, for further investigation.
He remains in police custody, said the Limpopo police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba.
The events leading to Mupaya’s arrest began on Monday, November 11, when a police investigating officer travelled to Johannesburg, as part of an ongoing investigation into a 30-year-old man arrested in Polokwane last month on explosives charges.
The investigation took a surprising turn when the officer arrived in Johannesburg and encountered Mupaya, who is apparently the uncle of the suspect facing charges of explosives possession.
According to reports, Mupaya allegedly attempted to bribe the officer, offering a large sum of cash in exchange for the officer’s agreement not to oppose bail for his nephew, who was due to appear in court the following day, Tuesday, November 12.
However, the officer immediately alerted authorities, and a covert operation was swiftly launched.
Mupaya, unaware that the situation was being monitored, travelled to Polokwane Magistrate’s Court with the cash in hand.
As he attempted to deliver the bribe, police pounced, arrested him and seized the money. The amount of cash remains undisclosed.
Limpopo police commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, praised the investigating officer for refusing the bribe and maintaining the integrity of the investigation.
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