40 S. African MPs to be prosecuted for travel voucher scam

Forty members of the 400-people Parliament of South Africa will face prosecution for alleged involvement into a travel voucher scam that could reach as high as 16 million rand (2.7 million US dollars).

The Scorpions, a special investigation task force under the National Prosecuting Authority, made the announcement in Cape Town on Friday, the SAPA news agency reported.

"The 40 members concerned will be notified next week and be brought before court immediately thereafter," the Scorpions spokesman Sipho Ngwema said, but would not release the MPs' names and what political parties they belong to.

Ngwema said the Scorpions made the decision "after considering the evidence and consulting with the affected parties."

The announcement follows an intensive investigation by the Scorpions after they took over the case from the South African Police Services in June last year.

Seven travel agents have been arrested in connection with the scam and have already made several appearances in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court, said the SAPA report.

The unit has been reportedly under immense pressure to complete the investigation.

The scam, dubbed by the South African media as the "Travelgate" scandal, involved conspiracy to have travel vouchers only valid for MPs' air trips "extended" to cover additional costs such as car hire and hotel accommodation.

This was done by allowing or assisting travel agents to recover the additional costs, such as car hire, from the Parliament under the disguise of valid claims for air tickets.

Agents allegedly added destination routes to inflate prices, and issued and canceled tickets on the same day, and then claimed the full fare from the Parliament.

Source: Xinhua