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Mkhwebane shocked NPA did not prosecute Mbalula over Dubai trip

Posted on by angelo
Mkhwebane shocked NPA did not prosecute Mbalula over Dubai trip

The cap — Former public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane says the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) decision not to prosecute ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula comes as a shock.

Mkhwebane’s comments come after Mbalula was investigated by Afriforum for a controversial trip he made to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in December 2016 and January 2017, while he was Minister of Sports. The trip was reportedly funded by Sedgars Sports, owned by the Dockrat family.

Mbalula said he was unmoved by the investigation and said no scandal remained.

According to The citizenBarry Bateman, spokesperson for AfriForum’s private prosecution unit, said after a cursory inspection of the evidence, “it was abundantly clear that the NPA’s decision not to prosecute Mbalula was irrational.”

In response, Mkhwebane was also surprised by the decision not to prosecute Mbalula and said the NPA should have investigated whether the money that flew the Mbalula family to Dubai was not the proceeds of crime, or whether money laundering had been committed. IOL reported.

“It was shocking to discover that the National Prosecuting Authority decided not to prosecute because there was evidence that we relied on as Public Protector that Mr Mbalula had received this free donation which it then transformed into a loan.” she says.

This was also paid in cash, and we were questioning the R150 000 in cash he paid to a travel agency. He claimed he was repaying R680 000 he received from Sedgars, the company that paid for his family’s trip,” Mkhwebane added.

Mkhwebane said the decision violated financial intelligence laws as a South African, which state that you are only allowed to carry a certain amount of cash with you.

“We wanted them to look into that part, but then they decided not to prosecute.” » she added.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen