Pakistani national sentenced to 18 years in jail in South Africa for running fake passport syndicate

Ahmed was nabbed after a sting operation in which authorities had been watching him as he tried to offer a substantial bribe of R45,000 to Home Affairs officials.

Following his arrest, a search at Ahmed’s residence uncovered multiple passports which he was not entitled to be in possession of.

Evidence in court showed that Ahmed was the kingpin of a passport photo swap syndicate which worked in collaboration with corrupt Home Affairs officials to provide fraudulent passports in the name of South African citizens, but with photos of foreign nationals.

The investigations found that Ahmed was working with corrupt officials of Home Ministry in a network that spanned six of South Africa’s nine provinces.

Twelve corrupt officials who enabled Ahmed’s scheme have already been fired by the ministry following internal disciplinary hearings, but concerns are being raised about why they were not also handed over to authorities to be charged and possibly jailed like Ahmed.

“The courts are sending a strong message that crime does not pay. We’ve been waiting patiently for the sentencing of this kingpin for his role in the passport syndicate. This is an illustration that in our unflinching commitment to uproot fraud, corruption and all sorts of crimes bedevilling our country, we make sure that kingpins and their lieutenants face the full might of the law,” Motsoaledi said.

The minister outlined how the high incidence of passport fraud in South Africa had led to countries such as the UK, where South Africans could previously visit without a visa, introducing a visa requirement.

“This was not the case before syndicates like these denigrated our passports. We will therefore have no mercy to anybody whatsoever, Home Affairs official or outsider, who gets involved in these dastardly acts. We are doing so to protect the interests of all South Africans,” he said.