Port Elizabeth – Portia “Pankie” Sizani, wife of the African National Congress (ANC) chief whip in Parliament, was found not guilty on five of the 15 counts of money laundering against her in the Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes court on Tuesday.
Sizani still has 16 counts of fraud and 10 counts of money laundering against her name.
State Prosecutor Ronelle Brink closed the state’s case on Monday following a lengthy trial against Sizani who is accused of defrauding the Eastern Cape Education Department out of more than R1.2 million by processing several fraudulent applications for Grade R teaching posts.
Sizani, the wife of ANC MP Stone Sizani, was the Early Childhood Development district co-ordinator at the time she allegedly appointed “ghost teachers” and pocketed their pay during 2009 and 2010.
The ECD provides for the appointment of Grade R teachers at Eastern Cape schools.
In 2014 she pleaded not guilty to 31 counts of fraud and money-laundering against her.
Defence Advocate, Johan Wessels brought forward an application in terms of Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act, with an intention for Sizani to be discharged on five of the fifteen counts of money laundering against her.
Section 174 states that if, at the close of the prosecution’s case, the court believed there was no evidence that the accused committed the offence concerned, it could return a verdict of not guilty.
It emerged in court on Monday that five witnesses could not be traced and that these people appeared to have vanished.
The five counts Sizani was acquitted on relate to the witnesses that could not be traced.
Wessels, in addition on Tuesday, indicated that the defence would again bring forward an application in terms of Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act for Sizani to be discharged on the remainder of the charges against her.
The case was postponed until July 26 for the state and defence to present heads of argument.
African News Agency
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