Merrick Meek, the head of the Bryanston branch of Rawson Properties, has become embroiled in a controversy involving the illegal sale of state land and is being probed by a high-level organised crime task team, led by the Hawks.

It's part of an investigation into at least 11 cases involving dealings with state- owned land worth about R1 billion.

Meek became an accused party in the investigations after Dimension Data, a Joburg-based global ICT company, laid a criminal complaint in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca) against Meek at the Sandton police station on Friday, September 14.

The Hawks, three members of the Gauteng organised crime office as well as private investigator Chad Thomas from IRS Forensic Investigations, are involved in the investigation.