Refilwe Mahuma, a senior registry clerk, was surprised by the presence of police at 11am on Friday at her office, where she was served with a warrant for her arrest for allegedly being responsible for the unlawful release of people who were supposed to remain in custody.
The 44-year-old mother-of-four is the latest department of justice employee to be arrested for being part of a syndicate that has been releasing convicted prisoners for a fee.
Nicole Dawson and Andre Trevor Ali, appeals clerks at the Johannesburg magistrate's court, were arrested in 2007 for their involvement in the syndicate and are out on bail.
Mahuma applied for bail at the Johannesburg magistrate's court on Monday. The application will resume on Thursday.
A co-worker of hers at the High Court, who is also allegedly involved in the syndicate, was due to be arrested on Tuesday.
The operation is believed to have been going on for about 10 years, and the department of justice and the department of correctional services are expected to do an audit on the prisoners released on appeal during those years.
An investigation would then be launched to determine whether those appeals were genuine, and those prisoners could be rearrested if they were found to have been released fraudulently.
On Monday, the investigating officer in the matter told the court how Mahuma was the one doing the "recruiting" for the syndicate.
In getting "clients", Inspector Charles Bachelor testified, Mahuma would visit Johannesburg Prison and arrange with the families of the convicted prisoner for their release.
The falsified documents would be sent from the High Court to Dawson and Ali at the Johannesburg magistrate's court, who would then fax them to Correctional Services, stating that a prisoner's appeal had been granted.
Bachelor said the syndicate comprised four people, with Mahuma being the leader. He added that, for a fee of R50 000, a prisoner was guaranteed his freedom.
"The families would meet with the accused (Mahuma) outside the High Court or at the bank, where money would exchange hands," Bachelor said.
The syndicate is alleged to have freed 12 prisoners, and Bachelor said seven of those, freed from 2006 up until April 2007, were members of the feared Eldorado Park gang the Majimbos.
Bachelor said the syndicate made an agreement on what to do should one of them be arrested after they read a newspaper article that police were investigating the matter.
"They met that night to discuss that if one of them is arrested, he or she should plead guilty and be sent to prison.
The J1 (a warrant of liberty used to free prisoners fraudulently) would be sent to prison by the remaining three members of the syndicate for his or her release," he testified.
The 44-year-old mother-of-four is the latest department of justice employee to be arrested for being part of a syndicate that has been releasing convicted prisoners for a fee.
Nicole Dawson and Andre Trevor Ali, appeals clerks at the Johannesburg magistrate's court, were arrested in 2007 for their involvement in the syndicate and are out on bail.
Mahuma applied for bail at the Johannesburg magistrate's court on Monday. The application will resume on Thursday.
A co-worker of hers at the High Court, who is also allegedly involved in the syndicate, was due to be arrested on Tuesday.
The operation is believed to have been going on for about 10 years, and the department of justice and the department of correctional services are expected to do an audit on the prisoners released on appeal during those years.
An investigation would then be launched to determine whether those appeals were genuine, and those prisoners could be rearrested if they were found to have been released fraudulently.
On Monday, the investigating officer in the matter told the court how Mahuma was the one doing the "recruiting" for the syndicate.
In getting "clients", Inspector Charles Bachelor testified, Mahuma would visit Johannesburg Prison and arrange with the families of the convicted prisoner for their release.
The falsified documents would be sent from the High Court to Dawson and Ali at the Johannesburg magistrate's court, who would then fax them to Correctional Services, stating that a prisoner's appeal had been granted.
Bachelor said the syndicate comprised four people, with Mahuma being the leader. He added that, for a fee of R50 000, a prisoner was guaranteed his freedom.
"The families would meet with the accused (Mahuma) outside the High Court or at the bank, where money would exchange hands," Bachelor said.
The syndicate is alleged to have freed 12 prisoners, and Bachelor said seven of those, freed from 2006 up until April 2007, were members of the feared Eldorado Park gang the Majimbos.
Bachelor said the syndicate made an agreement on what to do should one of them be arrested after they read a newspaper article that police were investigating the matter.
"They met that night to discuss that if one of them is arrested, he or she should plead guilty and be sent to prison.
The J1 (a warrant of liberty used to free prisoners fraudulently) would be sent to prison by the remaining three members of the syndicate for his or her release," he testified.
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