The Hawks swooped on Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Mongameli Bobani's office and house on Tuesday.

Bobani’s lawyer, Danie Gouws, confirmed that Hawks officials met the mayor at his office on Tuesday morning.

In the presence of Bobani’s legal representatives, the police searched his office before proceeding to his home.

Gouws said the search did not uncover anything.

“They wanted to confiscate the mayor’s cellphone, but we refused to hand it over as it was not listed in the warrant,” said Gouws.

“Further, Mr Bobani cooperated fully with the police as he had nothing to hide.

"We commend the police on a job well done, but they need to back off now as this is clearly a political ploy,” Gouws added.

This is a developing story