MPUMALANGA tycoon Sam “Mshengu” Chabalala’s inmate status has been bumped up a few notches.
This following his weekend stint behind bars.
Sam faces two fresh counts of corruption.
This follows an alleged attempt by the mogul to corrupt a senior cop in Mpumalanga in a bid to get his impounded flashy Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon released without following proper processes.
The second corruption charge relates to his attempts to bribe the same official to help him make his other case from last year disappear.
The new case was postponed to 21 February for a formal bail application.
This after his brief appearance in the Middelburg Magistrates Court on Friday.
The 24-year-old was initially arrested last year and later charged for fraud, corruption and possession of an unlicensed firearm.
He was out on R200 000 bail when he was nabbed on Friday.
Said Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi: “The suspect paid R50 000 as a down payment and on Thursday added an additional R70 000 for the release of his vehicle and for the docket to disappear.”
Mulaudzi said processes to forfeit the R120 000, including the car the suspect was utilising during the alleged commission of the crime are already underway.
The National Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, has commended the swift action of the investigating team.
- Sam drew public attention to himself after flashing his 72 expensive cars in a convoy heading to the Durban July last year.
