Pretoria: The South African Police Service (SAPS) has suspended a captain associated with the Protection Security Services (PSS) following an investigation that revealed discrepancies and suspicious financial transactions within the division.

According to South African Government News Agency, the captain, part of the finance section of PSS, allegedly exploited his access to the financial system to withdraw large sums of money. The investigation discovered that the captain manipulated the system to misappropriate funds under the pretense that they were intended for travel expenses for close protectors linked to the PSS.

Further investigations found that the funds were not received by the close protectors but instead were withdrawn in lump sums by the captain. A case of fraud was subsequently registered at the Sunnyside police station in Pretoria, leading to the captain’s suspension after an internal departmental investigation.

The National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola, commended the Financial Management Division for identifying and addressing the misconduct. He has tasked the SAPS anti-corruption unit with further investigating the issue. The SAPS expressed their commitment to ensuring taxpayer funds are used appropriately and stated that fraud and corruption will not be tolerated. They also clarified that no close protectors for the President, Deputy President, Ministers, or Deputy Ministers are involved in this case, as per the police statement on Wednesday.