The suspended chief executive of the Transport Education Training Authority (Teta), Piet Bothma, has become the third person to be arrested in connection with the Fidentia affair.
He appeared briefly in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday where he was released on R200 000 bail.
Bothma has been charged with fraud and theft and with corruption involving alleged kickbacks of just under R5-million.
He had earlier in the day flown down from Johannesburg with his attorney to report to the Scorpions office in the city centre, where he was formally arrested.
Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown and financial director Graham Maddock were arrested in March, and are out on bail of R1-million each.
Bothma was suspended from his Teta post in June.
The state claims under the theft and fraud charges that he was part of a conspiracy with Brown, Maddock ”and/or others” with regard to R200-million that Teta invested with Fidentia Asset Management, now under curatorship.
The corruption relates to an allegation that he got just under R5-million in unlawful kickbacks in the process.
His attorney, Marco Martini, said neither he nor Bothma had any comment at this stage.
”At this stage we’re waiting to see a formal charge sheet,” he said.
Bothma will be in the dock alongside Brown and Maddock at their next court appearance on August 31.
Scorpions prosecutor Bruce Morrisson told the court the state did not object to bail, and that the amount had been agreed on by the state and defence.
He said Bothma had cooperated with the Scorpions over his arrest, and had at the time of his arrest not given any false information.
As part of his bail conditions, Bothma has been ordered to surrender all travel documents and to seek Scorpions permission if he wants to leave South Africa.
He has also been barred from communicating with any Teta board members, officials or employees.
It is understood that the Scorpions are hoping to make further arrests in the case. — Sapa