The Nelspruit Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Mbombela has postponed the case against former state security minister Bongani Bongo to 2 May.
According to Newzroom Afrika, Bongo was a no-show at court on Wednesday morning, along with his co-accused and a warrant of arrest has since been issued.
Reportedly, the magistrate wrote an email to the legal representatives of the accused stating that he would not be able to deliver the judgment today. This possibly led to a misunderstanding, resulting in the accused not being present in court.
Bongo and 11 other people, including four companies, are facing 69 charges related to fraud, theft, corruption and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act in connection with a R74 million land deal by the Mpumalanga Department of Human Settlements (DoHS) in 2011.
NDABANEWS: BREAKING – Bongani Bongo is now a wanted man. Bongo and some of his co-accused were a no-show in the Nelspruit Specialised Commercial Crime Court.
A warrant of arrest has since been issued with the court postponing proceedings to May 2. pic.twitter.com/5GHW39v7PR
— Thulani Ndaba (@tndaba) April 17, 2024
The state has alleged that the accused conspired to inflate the prices of two farms that were purchased on behalf of the department.
The former farm owners allegedly only received a portion of the funds paid by the state, with the remainder being pocketed by the accused.
Bongo was the department’s legal advisor at the time of the deal. He was part of a committee appointed by the then-head of the department to negotiate the purchase of the farms.
He is said to have recommended the appointment of Singwane Attorneys as conveyancers for the department during the purchase of the two farms.
Singwane Attorneys allegedly paid Bongo R1 million through his wife’s business account and made deposits for two vehicles registered under his brother’s name, Sipho Bongo.
The ANC MP was arrested in 2020 and released on bail of R10 000.
Bongo and his co-accused are now seeking to have their case struck off the roll, and have argued that the state’s case against them is weak.
The magistrate was expected to hand down judgment in the matter today.
In other news – Musa Mseleku’s alleged wife number 5 causes a stir – Photo
Controversial Mzansi polygamist, Musa Mseleku‘s picture with his four wives and and an Umkhokha: The Curse actress has gone viral on social media. This is because fans of the Mselukus’ Mzansi Magic reality TV series, Uthando Nesthembu, are wondering if the actress has joined the KwaZulu-Natal family as wive number five.
The viral image was first shared by the DStv channel wherein the show airs, with the caption: “When it comes to matters of the heart, Mseleku really doesn’t say tomorrow. Read More
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
