A thorough forensic audit was needed to investigate signs that fraud could have led to the massive fuel shortages of the past few weeks, The Star newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The president of the SA Institute for Corporate Fraud Management, Bart Henderson, said on Tuesday he had called for the Scorpions to investigate the matter, and the request was apparently under serious consideration.
”This not just an oops; it is a matter which compromised national security. All the red flags are there that indicate massive fraud.
”Strategically, for example, [Zimbabwean President] Robert Mugabe could have woken up one morning and said SA is vulnerable because of their fuel shortage — let’s attack them with the same fuel we import from there.”
The fuel industry has maintained it had the stock but had encountered problems in getting it to the consumer, the report read.
It said the refineries had miscalculated the time needed to be fully functional after shutdowns to install new technology for cleaner fuel. – Sapa