Suspended ANC secretary general Ace Magashule has failed to convince the court to have charges dropped against him in the R255 million asbestos corruption scandal, meaning he will still be sidelined as the ANC heads to the national elective conference in December.
Magashule along with four others involved in the corruption case, including Edwin Sodi the controversial businessman and owner of Blackhead Consulting have failed to have their charges dropped in the asbestos case. The group faces numerous charges over the R255 million 2014 contracts which were issued while Ace was still premier of the Free State.
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Magashule has tried to challenge the case which has been postponed numerous times arguing that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) does not have a legitimate case against him. He further insists that his arrest is politically motivated and the state has nothing tangible that links him to the crime. The matter was dismissed with costs.
The NPA has welcomed the judgement by the Free State High Court which dismissed applications by the accused to have charges dropped with costs. Mthunzi Mhaga, the NPA spokesperson said “The NPA welcomes the judgement and will now focus on ensuring that the pretrial conference is concluded on the next court date so that a trial date can be arranged.
“We have always maintained that all the matters raised by the accused should be ventilated by the trail court when the trail proceedings begin. The NPA has full confidence in the strength of its case and will let the evidence speak for itself during the trial.
Source: News24, Eyewitness News, Business Day, image from News24
