Police probe bid to ‘bribe’ businessman
July 22 2013 at 11:35am
By Angelique Serrao
By Angelique Serrao
The Star
Marco Buffa Pace has
a flooring business in Malvern. Photo: Dumisani Dube
Johannesburg - A Joburg businessman who
says he and several staff members were intimidated and threatened by police is
fighting back.
Tactical Response Unit members
allegedly involved in the incident are being investigated by provincial police.
Marco Buffa Pace has a flooring
business in Malvern and drives home at night with his staff in a three-car
convoy because they work late and have been stopped by police before.
Last Monday, the convoy left the office
at about 5.30pm. He left the staff along the way to fill up with petrol. When
he got home, the staff were not there, so he called and found out they had been
stopped by police.
Pace spoke to the police and they asked
for his address.
They soon arrived at his house with the
other two staff vehicles.
The two police officers were in a white
Ford ST and wore black berets, indicating they were from the Tactical Response
Unit.
“One said he was arresting me and my
staff. He said I had broken an act of Parliament, but refused to say what act,”
Pace said.
The staff were asked for ID.
Two didn’t have any and were told if
they got out of the car, they would be killed, said Pace.
He went into his house and found one of
the men’s ID. That man got out of the car. The last man was still in the back
seat.
“The police said… they were taking him
to Pretoria Central.”
Pace followed. He called 10111 and
report the abduction.
“A woman told me she didn’t know what I
should do and called her superior… He told me to go to Yeoville police
station.”
Not willing to leave his staff member,
Pace called Talk Radio 702 and was talking to a reporter when a marked police
black VW Caravelle pulled up behind him.
The Ford he had been following stopped
and Pace was trapped between the two police cars. Five policemen got out of the
Caravelle.
The Ford driver got into Pace’s
passenger seat and the other officer from the Ford went to his window.
Pace was told he would be arrested for
aiding and abetting a criminal, before being asked for money to “sort
everything out”.
“I told them I wasn’t paying a f******
cent,” he said.
One policeman realised there was
someone on the phone.
“He said it would be better if I f***
off quickly before his friends teach me a lesson.”
They drove off and after asking the
staff member in their car if he had money, and realising he didn’t, dropped him
a few blocks away.
Pace went to Yeoville police station
but saw the Caravelle there. He left and laid a charge of intimidation at
Cleveland the next day.
Pace contacted eBlockwatch, whose
founder Andre Snyman ascertained the Ford came from Hillbrow police station.
Gauteng police spokesman
Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said an internal and criminal probe was
under way.
angelique.serrao@inl.co.za
The Star
