South African authorities have arrested the wife of a senior military general, Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, on charges of $ 6 million fraud, Sunday Times reports.
Later, the suspect was released on condition that she makes no contact with witnesses and hands in her passport to the investigating officer.
According to the investigation, in 2014, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) awarded a tender to Umkhombe Marine Pty Ltd, owned by Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, to transport equipment back to South Africa from African countries. The contract value was $ 1.4 million.
In 2016, she received another $ 6 million contract for the same transportation of SANDF equipment to Sudan. But the contract was terminated for technical reasons.
In turn, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu turned to SANDF to reimburse $ 1.8 million for expenses incurred prior to the termination of the contract.
In the same year, instead of a canceled contract, she received a transport contract for the supply of SANDF equipment to Congo worth $ 4.7 million.
At the time, her husband Major General Noel Ndhlovu was on the military’s joint operations committee, which rubber-stamped all mission contracts.
As a result, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu is accused of providing false information as part of the tender process and falsifying documents to prove expenses.
The Sunday Times previously reported flaunting their luxurious lifestyle, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu and her husband, who are showing off their expensive cars and overseas vacations.
Investigators suspected fraud and corruption when they examined some of the tenders Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu had secured. In one rival bidders listed included companies that were later revealed to be a taxi business and a stationery supplier.
The investigation is ongoing
