JUST IN | Phala Phala: Ramaphosa has a case to answer

President Cyril Ramaphosa has a case to answer to on the origins of the foreign currency that was stolen on his Phala Phala farm.

This was the finding of the independent panel appointed by parliament looking into whether there are grounds for an impeachment.

The report found that there are weighty considerations which left the panel in substantial doubt as to whether the stolen foreign currency was the proceeds of sale.

This is why:

• There is no evidence as to how this money came into the Republic;
• The exact amount of foreign currency stolen is yet to be disclosed;
• The investigation by the SARB suggests strongly that it had no records of this money entering this country or being reported as having been received;
• Other than his name, there are no other particulars of Mustafa Mohamed Ibrahim Hazim, a Sudan national who came to the farm to view buffalos such as his physical address, telephone numbers, business address, and other personal details such as his passport number;
• Having bought 20 buffaloes, Mr Hazim has not collected these buffaloes for the past two and a half years. Instead of keeping the money in the safe until the next banking day, the money is kept concealed in a sofa for well over a month;
• The theft of the money was not reported to the SAPS and no case number or docket is registered;
• Information placed before the Panel suggests that more than US$ 580,000 (about R9.9-m) was stolen; and
• Suspects were arrested, interrogated and cooperated with the investigating team and yet no one is charged, prosecuted, and convicted. This occurs amid allegations that the suspects were paid R150,000 each to buy their silence.