A former Eastern Cape traffic official, who sold everything from falsified learner’s licences to doctored eye tests, will be sentenced in the Gqeberha high court on Thursday.
Rory Petrus, 37, was convicted of fraud, corruption, forgery, the furnishing of false information, and the unlawful issuance of learner and driving licences.
Testimony was that Petrus even offered “packages” where R5,000 would allow people to get their driver’s licence on the same day — with no tests or paperwork.
Petrus, who worked from Nqweba (formerly Kirkwood), appeared briefly in the Gqeberha high court on Monday where his sentencing was postponed to Thursday.
At the time of his transgressions, his late father, Andrew, was a manager at the traffic department and Petrus’s crimes were swept under the rug, until police conducted an undercover sting operation and caught him red-handed on camera taking money in exchange for official documents.
During his appearance in April, he was ordered to repay an amount of R2,000 into the state’s criminal assets recovery account.
This amount pertained to the funds that were supposed to be paid to the Nqweba branch of the Sundays River Valley traffic department, but were diverted to his own pocket as part of his fraudulent scheme.
The Asset Forfeiture Unit’s advocate, Warren Myburgh, had brought an application for a confiscation order, which resulted in Petrus being ordered to repay R2,000 to the state.
Petrus’s bail was extended.
The Herald
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