Former Lieutenant colonel Pieter Andries Nel found guilty
Upington Serious Commercial Crimes Court found former police officer, Lieutenant colonel Pieter Andries Nel guilty after a guilty plea on 80 charges of fraud and 80 charges of money laundering. Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant colonel Tebogo Thebe says Nel was serving as head of financial services, SAPS at ZF Mgcawu district in Upington, tasked with authorizing payments to service providers, and subsistence and travelling of police members within Upington. Thebe says Nel defrauded his employer SAPS from 2022 until 2024, the disgraced police officer created and authorized false payments estimated to be over R1.2 million paid into his personal bank account. According to information, the officer was discharged from SAPS on the 12th September 2024, following a disciplinary process and consequently the employer deducted an amount of R1. 258.636-88 from his pension as a payback. The matter was postponed to the 2nd December 2026 for sentencing.
