Embattled former Speaker of Parliament, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has on Tuesday appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court, facing multiple charges of corruption and money laundering.
Acting Chief Magistrate Vusimuzi Mahlangu on Tuesday stated on record that Mapisa-Nqakula has been served with an indictment to appear before the High Court in Pretoria.
On Tuesday, the matter was transferred to the superior court for trial. The trial at the High Court in Pretoria will start on October 16.
Last month, the publication reported that Mapisa-Nqakula had made a brief appearance in the court, where her case was postponed to Tuesday. the publication previously reported that Mapisa-Nqakula would be served with the indictment to appear in the high court, for trial.
Last month, shortly after the court appearance, the Investigating Directorate (ID) of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said at that stage, Mapisa-Nqakula remained the only accused person in the high-profile case.
During her previous court appearance in April, the State placed it on record that the former speaker will appear in June alongside a co-accused. However, in June, the former speaker of the National Assembly cut a lone figure in the dock.
Spokesperson for the ID, Henry Mamothame explained that the evidence before them was not sufficient to pursue any other person.
“We had to engage the evidence before us. Remember, it was only one charge of money laundering. After further engagement between our investigators and our prosecution team, the ID decided not to pursue the second accused,” Mamothame said last month.
“This is based on the fact that the evidence before us was not sufficient for us to pursue the second accused person.”
The Investigative Directorate, however, insisted that it has sufficient evidence to prosecute Mapisa-Nqakula
“We are here (Pretoria Magistrate’s Court) to serve an indictment and to get a high court date. We feel that the matter has to go to the high court owing to its serious nature,” said Mamothame.
The court extended Mapisa-Nqakula’s R50,000 bail to July 9 on the same bail conditions.
Mapisa-Nqakula was in April released on R50,000 bail after she appeared in a packed Pretoria Magistrate’s Court.
The State had requested that bail be set at R100,000. However, Mapisa-Nqakula pleaded with the court, stating that she was now a pensioner and could only afford a maximum of R50,000.
As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered that Mapisa-Nqakula hand over her passport to investigators, which she did.
She was also ordered not to contact the State’s witnesses – directly or indirectly.
The much-anticipated initial court appearance came hours after Mapisa-Nqakula handed herself over to police at the Lyttelton police station in Tshwane on April 4.
The prosecution team stated that charges against Mapisa-Nqakula are 12 counts of corruption under Preca (Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act) and one of money laundering under Poca (Prevention of Organised Crime Act) for allegedly soliciting a R4.5 million from a defence contractor.
The State’s case is that despite soliciting R4.5 million, Mapisa-Nqakula received R2.1 million and the prosecution told the court that it knows “what the money received was used for”.
The former Minister of Defence and Military Veterans is facing multiple charges of corruption, stemming from a high-profile investigation into her affairs when she presided over South Africa’s military.
-IOL
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