Image for illustration purposes only.
A former police officer has been sentenced to five years’ direct imprisonment after being convicted of accepting a R200 bribe from an undercover agent.
Sergeant Sello Milla (41) was sentenced by the Middelburg Regional Court on July 30 following an investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit in collaboration with the Road Traffic Management Corporation and Crime Intelligence.
The investigation formed part of an undercover operation conducted between 2018 and 2019 targeting law enforcement officials suspected of soliciting and accepting bribes from motorists in Mpumalanga.
According to the Hawks, Milla was attached to the Middelburg Flying Squad when he solicited R200 from an undercover agent posing as a motorist on June 23, 2019. He was subsequently arrested and charged with corruption.
Hawks Mpumalanga Provincial Head Major General Nico Gerber welcomed the sentence, saying it should serve as a warning that corruption carries serious consequences regardless of the amount involved.
“A mere R200 has landed the convict in jail for five years,” Gerber said.