The rogue police station commander from the farming town Excelsior in the Free State will trade his blue uniform as a lawman for the orange garb of prison. The Thaba Nchu Regional Court sentenced the culprit, Moru Daniel Nkali (52), to three years’ direct imprisonment on 24 October.
This is the result of probing by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team in Bloemfontein. The crime-fighting unit began its investigation after Nkali’s alleged misdeeds in 2014 came to light. At this time he held the rank of captain.
Capt. Christopher Singo, provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, said Nkali had been found guilty of corruption and defeating the ends of justice based on the evidence presented in court. The court ordered that Nkali serve three years behind bars – resulting from a sentence of five years, of which two years is suspended for five years.
Singo said the corruption charge related to extortion money Nkali had demanded from a man arrested for possession of a dangerous weapon.The charge for defeating the ends of justice stems from a discrepancy of information in the docket submitted regarding the arrest made. The man who had been arrested blew the whistle on Nkali, who made attempts to continue extorting more money from the victim.
“On 1 November 2014, Nkali approached the complainant and demanded R1 500 to release him from custody. The complainant then called a member of his family who paid the amount,” said Singo.
“On 3 November 2014, Nkali submitted the docket to the prosecutor with outstanding information so that the case could be withdrawn. The case was, as a result, withdrawn.”
He said the accused then approached the complainant again, to demand more money.
“The complainant reported the matter to the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team in Bloemfontein. A case was registered for further investigation, and on 13 November 2021 Nkali was arrested and charged,” said Singo.
