The Pretoria High Court has dismissed former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s bid to have the case against her dismissed, finding that the State has presented a prima facie case of corruption and money laundering against her.
The Pretoria High Court has found that the State had established a prima facie case of corruption and money laundering against former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and she has a case to answer.
The ruling came on Monday and came in response to Mapisa-Nqakula's application to have the charges against her dropped. After the State closed its case, Mapisa-Nqakula's legal team applied to have her acquitted without mounting a defence or taking the witness stand. They argued that the State had failed to present sufficient evidence to justify continuing the trial.
Yesterday's ruling, delivered by Judge Mashudu Munzhelele, has paved the way for the case against her to continue.
Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering. She is accused of soliciting and receiving R4.5 million in bribes, including R2.1 million allegedly paid in cash by Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, a service provider to the South African National Defence Force, between December 2016 and July 2019.
