Johannesburg - The legal fraternity has come out in defence of the three legal experts who were part of the independent panel that investigated the president’s involvement in possible money laundering after the discovery of at least $4 million (about R69m) on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm.
The Star understands that the three highly decorated lawyers, Justice Sandile Ngcobo, Thokozile Masipa and Mahlape Sello, have come under fire from supporters of the president for their adverse findings against him.
Unions such as the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) have called on the trio to be investigated for “misleading the country”.
The panellists have also faced criticism from Western Cape legal giants such as former public protector Thuli Madonsela and the University of Cape Town’s Richard Calland.
Both law professors have said the panellists may have erred in their interpretation of the law and have recommended that the president take the report under review.
In a statement, a group of lawyers calling themselves Advocates for Transformation, said they were worried that a Ramaphosa faction had developed in the legal fraternity. The group accused some of these lawyers and media houses of launching a fightback on behalf of Ramaphosa.
“Since the panel’s report was released, there has been a flood of what appears to be a sponsored fightback at the expense of the independent senior counsel rendering an important service to our country,” the advocates said in the statement.
The advocates said that they would not comment on the findings of the report, but only intend to protect the integrity of members of the expert panel.
“These attacks are a common and typical double standard that have become the hallmark of the very people that pretend to be champions of the rule of law, a concept that they use as a scam to hide their own insincerity. The attacks probably emerge from an evil and dark place where some journalists and pseudo-legal analysts pay fealty to the powerful,” they said.
The advocates said it was shocking that there were people who were willing to go as far as reporting the panellists to the Judicial Services Commission just because they had found evidence that Ramaphosa had a case to answer.
“We also call on former advocate Thuli Madonsela, who has emerged as an expert in Section 34 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004, to seek guidance from her previous pronouncements on this statute as contained in paragraph 7.2 of her report of October 14, 2016 entitled State of Capture,” they said.
Meanwhile, it was expected that opposition parties would use today’s parliamentary session to impeach the president.
Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, pronounced that the vote would not be by secret ballot. It was not clear how this would affect the ANC, which was divided on the matter.
The Star