Former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is innocent and will clear herself given a chance.
This is according to her special adviser and spokesperson, Mike Ramagoma, after the former speaker was granted bail of R50 000 by the Pretoria Magistrates Court.
She is facing 12 charges of corruption and one of money laundering following investigations into allegations during her tenure as the Minister of Defence.
According to the charges, in the period between 2016 and 2019, she allegedly solicited an amount of approximately R4,5 million, of which R2,1 million was received in cash.
But Ramagoma has vehemently denied the charges, alleging that these are trumped up and desperate charges by law enforcement authorities.
“She maintains her innocence and their case cannot be strong.
We believe that this is a case which is about somebody who was already facing their own trial on a number of cases that were being investigated in the Department of Defence.
When they realised that they were about to go to jail, they themselves brought in these accusations to be granted section 204 status.
It is on that basis we say this case is weak and based on flimsy evidence,” said Ramagoma, who was addressing the media after the court proceedings.
He also accused the state of deliberately leaking information to the media, which hasn’t been communicated with the speaker.
Ramagoma said officials from the Investigating Directorate of the National Prosecuting Authority left empty handed during a search and seizure operation that was carried out at her Bruma home two weeks ago, as part of investigations against her.
“There was a wig, a bag covering the wig, there was a Ted Baker handbag that they were looking for, there was cash exceeding R20 00 in local or foreign currency, there was a skin of a bear with claws and head, and some documents related to renovations.
They didn’t find Ted Baker handbag they were looking for, they didn’t find the bear skin, didn’t find the cash, the wig in the bag that they said the wig was in, they do not find the cash exceeding R20 000, they did take some of the documents and one of the wigs that was in the house.
They left there very dejected, the search and seizure were part of an attempt to bolster the case, which we say was already weak and couldn’t be stronger because they didn’t find what they were looking for,” explained Ramagoma.
The speaker handed herself over at the Lyttelton Police Station in Centurion this morning, before her court appearance.
Her bail conditions are that she should surrender her passport to the investigating officer, and she should have no direct or indirect contact with the state witnesses.
The state told the court that following the search and seizure operation at the former Speakers on 19 March, they want to “add another accused, which will be done within three weeks.”
The matter was postponed to 04 June 2024 for the arrest of the second accused in this matter.
