President Cyril Ramaphosa has breathed a sigh of relief following the court’s decision not to prosecute him in the Phala Phala case.
The president was previously suspected of being part of a cover-up following the burglary at his Phala Phala farm where a half a million dollars in undeclared money were stolen from his property in 2020.
While there have been calls for the president to step down from his role following the incident as it was suspected that he may have been involved in money laundering and corruption, the court recently stated that he will not be prosecuted as there was insufficient evidence to support this claim.
As reported by news publication, Eye Witness News, Mthunzi Mhaga, national spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority said: “The decision not prosecute was taken by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) after a careful assessment of all the available evidence presented to the prosecutors by the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigation (DPCI). She concluded that there is no reasonable prospect of a successful prosecution based on evidence contained in the docket.”
Following the outcome, political analyst professor Sipho Seepe told news publication IOL that this was an insult to panel who was responsible for compiling the report which found that the president had violates the constitution, highlighting that the president was liable to answer on the origins of the foreign currency which was stolen.
Meanwhile the trio accused of breaking into the president’s home is set to appear for a pre trial in November.
Also see: Cyril Ramaphosa explores with snuff tobacco in door-to-door campaign
