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Cape Town - The matter involving a Chinese woman who allegedly submitted fraudulent tenders for the supply of refuse bags to the City of Cape Town, was transferred on Monday to the Cape Town Regional Court.
Shu Wei Lu, 35, of Goodwood in Cape Town, made her final appearance on Monday in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court before Magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg.
At the request of prosecutor Tracy Belelie, the magistrate warned Lu to appear in the Cape Town Regional Court on April 29.
No reasons were given for the transfer of the case.
According to the charge sheet, tenders were considered in accordance with points awarded on the basis of the price of the tender, as well as the number of historically disadvantaged individuals (HDIs) in a company’s ownership.
The charge sheet cites Lu’s company, C’Est Gyms, as the second accused.
The State alleges that Lu, who faces two fraud charges, fraudulently engaged a coloured woman, Irene September, and gave her a fictitious 90% interest in the company, in order to be awarded tenders as an HDI-compliant company.
At the time, September was in fact in the employ of the state social development department.
September was not required to participate in the running of Lu’s business but, for agreeing to be falsely registered as having a 90% interest in the company, she received quarterly amounts of R12 000.
In this manner, the company was awarded a tender worth R49 982 433, it is alleged.
The State alleges that Lu had a legal duty to disclose in the tender that the woman with the 90% stake in her business was also in the employ of the State at the time of submission of the tender, but fraudulently failed to do so.
Lu’s failure to disclose caused unfair losses to other legitimate tenders, and rendered the tender process irregular, the State alleges.
The alleged fraud happened between July 2008 and November 2010.
