South Africa’s police chief, Fannie Masemola, was suspended on Thursday by President Cyril Ramaphosa after Masemola was charged with breaking finance laws linked to an allegedly unlawful police contract, according to the Associated Press.
Ramaphosa told reporters that he had agreed with Masemola to place him on precautionary suspension pending the conclusion of the case, and he appointed Puleng Dimpane, the commissioner for financial management services in the police service, to serve as acting police commissioner in the interim.
The suspension followed Masemola’s appearance in court on Tuesday, the AP reported, where he was set to return alongside 12 other senior police officers suspected of fraud, corruption and money laundering connected to the contract. The contract was alleged to have been awarded unlawfully to a local company.
The AP reported that charges against Masemola relate to his responsibilities as the accounting officer for the police service, tying the allegations to his role in the police organization’s oversight of the contract process.
According to the AP, Masemola faces four counts of violating South Africa’s Public Finance Management Act over a deal worth 360 million rand (about $21 million) for health and well-being services to police officers. The report said it was alleged that some police officers received bribes from the winning bidders.
Ramaphosa’s decision also followed wide-ranging allegations of corruption in the country’s criminal justice system that were revealed through a commission of inquiry appointed by him last year, the AP said.
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