Travel vouchers and accommodation bookings meant for court witnesses were allegedly used to siphon millions from the justice department.

A supervisor at the Gqeberha Magistrates' Court came across a stack of questionable travel vouchers on a clerk's desk in 2020, inadvertently uncovering an alleged R4.7-million fraud racket against the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJCD).

The clerk allegedly colluded with a guesthouse owner in Summerstrand, Gqeberha, to book witnesses into her establishment when they were due to appear before the court.

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Sounds innocent enough. However, it appears that the witnesses never existed, and the clerk and the guesthouse owner allegedly split the proceeds of more than 100 fake bookings over 17 months.

Court clerk Ntombikayise Screech, guesthouse owner Mari du Plessis and her company, Fortywingspe, face 183 charges, including fraud, money laundering and forgery.

They first appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Gqeberha shortly after their arrests in 2022, and are due back in court later this month.

In another development two weeks ago, the National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA's) Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) was granted a provisional restraint order, freezing R8.5-million worth of assets of the two accused, believed to be the proceeds of crime, pending the finalisation of their criminal trial.

According to the charge sheet, one of Screech's responsibilities at the Gqeberha Magistrates' Court...