A man accused of being involved in a fraud scheme related to the Covid-19 Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme (TERs) was apprehended at the border and appeared in court to face charges.
59-year-old Tokelo Winston Frederick Modiboa, who had been evading authorities since November 2022, was arrested at the Ramatlabama border post with Botswana. He is one of 20 individuals implicated in fraudulent TERs claims that took place between 2020 and 2021, according to Hawks spokesperson Col Tinyiko Mathebula.
The TERs funds were intended to assist employers in paying their employees during the national lockdown imposed in March 2020. Investigations revealed that Modiboa allegedly received payments from other accused individuals who submitted false claims.
Modiboa was remanded and is scheduled to appear in court again. The case involves substantial amounts of money being falsely claimed for individuals who were not actual employees, highlighting the severity of the fraud.
TimesLIVE