Former State Security minister Bongani Bongo’s fraud, corruption, theft and money laundering case has been postponed until May 4 at the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court after the State requested more time to analyse and finalise the docket.
The ANC MP’s charges relate to around R120 million worth of corrupt land deals and it is expected that the analysis of the docket will be completed by the end of this month.
The delay comes only a week after another corruption case in which Bongo was implicated, was thrown out of the Western Cape High Court.
In the Western Cape High Court matter, Bongo was accused of attempting to bribe evidence leader advocate Ntuthuzelo Vanara in the Eskom inquiry in Parliament, but he successfully applied to have the charges dismissed.
Following the postponement of his fraud, corruption, theft and money laundering case at the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court, Bongo expressed unhappiness with the delay, saying the matter happened 11 years ago and should have been handled a long time ago.
Bongo has maintained that the charges against him were politically motivated brought by dark forces that he would expose at the conclusion of the case.
“The State has been busy for the past 11 years ago investigating, so they are not finishing the investigation for the past 11 years and it is a cause for concern. I think it’s bordering on abusing our rights because we were supposed to come here and get a trial.
’’They should’ve done this analysis in the 11 years that they’ve been doing this, but they’re deciding to waste our time and call us again on the 4th of May, but we are going to comply because we respect the rule of law,” Bongo said.
Turning to his case that was thrown out of the Western Cape High Court, Bongo said that the case had dragged on for three years before it was dismissed.
He added that there were dark forces unhappy with this ruling and wanted to find him guilty at all costs.
Political Bureau