Presidency denies claim that Ramaphosa broke the law by concealing information
On Wednesday former State Security Agency Director-General Arthur Fraser opened a criminal case against the president over the incident.
President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Annual Mining Indaba on Tuesday, 10 May 2022.
JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied allegations that he broke the law by concealing information relating to a robbery at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo in February 2020.
On Wednesday, former State Security Agency director-general Arthur Fraser opened a criminal case against the president over the incident.
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He alleged that suspects were kidnapped and interrogated before being paid off for their silence on the crime.
Fraser reported to the Rosebank police station on Wednseday that criminals who entered Ramaphosa’s Limpopo farm in February 2020 had stolen over $4 million in cash.
Fraser also claimed that the President hid this information from the police and thus breached the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
In a statement, the Presidency has confirmed that the robbery took place and proceeds from the sale of game were stolen.
However, presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya denied any wrongdoing on the part of the president.
“The president was attending an African Union Summit in Addis Ababa at the time of the incident. On being advised of the robbery president Ramaphosa reported the incident to the head of the Presidential Protection Unit of the South African Police Service for investigation.”
Magwenya said Ramaphosa would cooperate with any law enforcement operation linked to the incident.
CAREER IN INTELLIGENCE
After a career in intelligence, Fraser became chief of the country's prisons.
It was he who in September ordered the release on medical parole of former head of state Jacob Zuma, just two months into a 15-month jail sentence for contempt following his refusal to testify in a probe into financial sleaze under his presidency.
Zuma was forced to resign in 2018 after a series of corruption scandals.
He was succeeded by his then deputy, Ramaphosa, who came into office pledging to fight graft.
But he too has been called in for questioning in the investigation into alleged looting from state coffers during the Zuma era.