Two former Mpumalanga Hawks officials, who were convicted of fraud, forgery and uttering in connection with the submission of false travel and subsistence claims worth R850, have been sentenced to direct terms of imprisonment.

The Middleburg Regional Court sentenced Richard Lekotswane Nkwanyana, 48, and Peter Mathekanyana Molapo, 58, to five and six years behind bars respectively, Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said.

"The two accused had claimed that they booked into a guesthouse for two nights, yet [the] Hawks' investigations revealed that they only stayed for a single night," Mulaudzi said.

He added that each of them submitted claims of about R850 in 2006 and that the dates on the invoices had been altered.

According to Mulaudzi, it emerged during the trial that a letterhead and a special manager's discount had been falsified.

A handwriting expert had also testified and confirmed that the invoices had indeed been forged.

Mulaudzi added that Nkwanyana had separate pending cases against him which involved allegations of theft and defeating the ends of justice.

The Hawks' national head, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, welcomed the sentences imposed, Mulaudzi added.

"Law enforcement officers must be honest in executing their duties. Those who choose to be dishonest will regret for crime does not pay. I would also like to commend the investigators from the [Hawks] who investigated the matter without fear or favour," Lebeya added.

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