Former African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Ace Magashule speaks to the media, on 30 August , during the launch of the new South African political party African Congress for Transformation (ACT). Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
Former Free State premier Ace Magashule says he is not losing sleep over the arrest of his former personal assistant, Moroadi Cholota, following her extradition back to South Africa.
Cholota is set to make her first appearance in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
She was successfully brought back to South Africa after her extradition was authorised by the United States (US) government on 31 July.
Cholota landed at the OR Tambo International Airport under the escort of law enforcement on Thursday, and was subsequently handed over to the Hawks.
She is facing charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering and violating the Public Finance Management Act.
Magashule said he has nothing to hide and is not worried about Cholota’s arrest.
“I know I’ve not done anything. I know the young lady has not done anything. Remember, they wanted her to be a state witness against who? And they forced her. Remember, there were records where they were trying to say she must implicate me and I’ve not done anything wrong. She has not done anything wrong.”
Magashule shared concerns about the way Cholota was allegedly being treated by authorities.
“The way she’s treated, she’s treated like a terrorist, escorted by hundreds of policemen and women. That’s real torture and I hope she has not been tortured all the way and she came just wearing those clothes from the US.”
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Magashule claimed there is no case against him.
“I can tell you, there is no case because I’ve never been involved in money laundering, corruption in whatever and I believe that the young lady has not been involved in anything. So welcome. Justice delayed is justice denied. We are we are we are happy and I hope she will be treated like a human being.”
Magashule and his 17 co-accused, including controversial businessman Edwin Sodi, are facing more than 70 counts of fraud, corruption, and money laundering and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).
It relates to an asbestos tender awarded by the Free State Department of Human Settlements to Sodi’s Blackhead Consulting to audit, assess and remove asbestos from homes in the province.
Magashule was Free State premier at the time.
Magashule and his co-accused tried to challenge their prosecution, but the High Court in May 2022 dismissed the matter.
They then turned to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA). But in May 2023, the SCA followed suit and dismissed, with costs, their attempts to question the validity of their prosecution in the R255 million Free State asbestos corruption case.
The court ruled that the appeal had “no reasonable prospects of success… and there is no compelling reason why an appeal should be heard”.
READ MORE: Magashule’s former PA arrested in US as multi-million rand asbestos trial postponed (VIDEO)
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