BLOEMFONTIEN – A fraud-accused former official who was earning substantial salaries by purportedly working at both the Mangaung Metro and Department of Higher Education and Training is set to stand trial in the Bloemfontein Specialised Commercial Crimes Court. The trial date is yet to be determined for the alleged double-dipper, Paseka Ishmael Choeu.
Lt Col. Zweli Mohobeleli, provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, said the matter was postponed to arrange the trial date during his recent reappearance on 31 July. Choeu is facing charges of fraud and theft arising from the reported double-dipping work at the two government spheres.
The case followed his arrest by the Bloemfontein Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team, who uncovered the fraud. The investigation revealed Choeu was employed in January 2017 as a lecturer at a community education and training college in Bloemfontein, and then in 2019 as the financial manager at the trouble-ridden Mangaung Metro.
The investigation revealed he was earning two salaries from both government spheres until the time of his arrest in 2024. It emerged that he was signing the on-duty registers at the two entities’ offices, recording the same times.
The state’s elite crime fighting wing launched the investigation in April 2022 after receiving reliable information regarding Choeu’s activities.
Choeu reportedly handed himself over to the Hawks’ investigating team at the height of the investigation. He was granted bail of R5 000 after he appeared in court in June last year.
