Reserve Bank found no forex violations by Mapisa-Nqakula, court hears
A South African Reserve Bank investigator testified that he found no evidence of foreign exchange violations by former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. The testimony challenges the state's case regarding alleged bribes, specifically contradicting a witness's claim about a cash handover in 2018.
Why it matters
The testimony impacts a high-profile corruption trial involving a former government official, potentially weakening the state's case regarding specific bribery allegations.
Evan Haezer, an investigator in the compliance and enforcement division of surveillance at the South African Reserve Bank (Sarb), testified that he made no adverse findings regarding former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula , noting that nothing in her account records reflected negatively on her.
Haezer, who examines customer foreign exchange activities, testified before the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Friday.
Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering for allegedly soliciting R4.5m in bribes and benefits, R2.1m of which was paid in cash by military contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu.
She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, the state’s star witness, alleged that between 2016 and 2019, Mapisa-Nqakula solicited and accepted millions of rand in bribes to secure and protect lucrative defence logistics contracts.
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