Malema expected to address VBS scandal at press conference next week
The EFF commander-in-chief has not yet commented on reports that his party received R1.3m and his second-in-command received roughly R10m from the bank.
South African Economic Freedom Fighters opposition party leader Julius Malema talks during an interview with AFP on September 11, 2018 at the party’s headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa. / AFP PHOTO / GIANLUIGI GUERCIA
EFF leader Julius Malema will be holding a press conference on Tuesday next week. While the reason for it is not yet known, Malema is expected to confront the damning allegations that emerged about his party on Wednesday.
The party’s commander-in-chief has not yet commented on reports that his party received R1.3m and his second-in-command received roughly R10m from the bank.
CIC JULIUS MALEMA TO ADDRESS MEDIA ON TUESDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2018 pic.twitter.com/wwEICBiE6v
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) October 11, 2018
A report commissioned by Treasury called The Great Bank Heist was released on Wednesday. Looking into the alleged looting of VBS Bank and compiled by advocate Terry Motau and assisted by Werksmans Attorneys, the report implicated the EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu’s brother Brian as one of the more than 50 people who “gratuitously” received money from VBS Bank.
READ MORE: EFF mum on Floyd Shivambu brother’s VBS allegations
Then, the Daily Maverick released an investigative report revealing that not only had Shivambu himself received as much as R10 million of the R16 million allegedly sent to Brian, but that the party’s bank account had received R1.3 million.
EFF Statement On Forensic Report Outcomes On VBS Mutual Bank pic.twitter.com/f2zPByQVNm
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) October 10, 2018
While the EFF did release a statement on the report, it did not contain comment on Brian Shivambu’s implication in the VBS saga. The party also has not addressed the more recent allegations in The Daily Maverick that the party and Shivambu himself received money.
In the statement, the red berets called for the law to take its course and that those responsible be held accountable.
“The EFF reiterates its position that all those who are responsible and illegally benefited from the fraud must be criminally prosecuted immediately. As we previously indicated, we also reiterate that they must be blacklisted. Above all, the law enforcement authorities must ensure that all the [money] that can be recovered is paid back in full, including attaching properties from the individuals who benefited,” the party said.
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