Mixed court rulings for former state security minister Bongani Bongo
Bongo had been implicated along with his brother and several others in dodgy land sales in Mpumalanga.
FILE: ANC MP Bongani Bongo at the Western Cape High Court in Cape Town on 5 September 2022. Picture: Lindsay Dentlinger/Eyewitness News
CAPE TOWN - It has been a week of mixed fortunes for former State Security Minister and African National Congress (ANC) MP Bongani Bongo.
On Friday he was let off the hook on corruption and money laundering charges in the Nelspruit Commercial Crimes Court after he and seven co-accused applied for a discharge.
Bongo had been implicated along with his brother and several others in dodgy land sales in Mpumalanga.
In a separate matter on Monday, the Supreme Court of Appeal granted the state a re-trial against him in another corruption matter in the Western Cape High Court.
Bongo told Eyewitness News he was ready to re-face the corruption charges in the Western Cape where the state argues that he attempted to bribe an evidence leader in a parliamentary inquiry back in 2017.
He had been successful in applying for a discharge in that case in 2021, which former judge president John Hlophe dismissed over lack of evidence.
But that ruling has since been overturned by the Supreme Court.
Bongo had corruption charges dismissed against him in an unrelated matter dating back to his tenure in Mpumalanga’s human settlements department when suspect farm sale transactions were made.
The discharge leaves the state with nine accused including corporate entities.
NPA Spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said that going forward the NPA will proceed with options to appeal the section 174 on a point of law on the ruling granted to the discharged accused.
The matter has been postponed to the 26th of August when the trial will continue with the remaining accused who face 14 counts of corruption and eight of money laundering.