South Africa’s national prosecuting authority has officially cleared President Cyril Ramaphosa of allegations of corruption and money laundering related to the theft of $500,000 from his private cattle farm in 2020.
The case was initiated by South Africa’s former spy chief, Arthur Fraser, who filed charges against Ramaphosa in June 2022.
Fraser accused the president, who has been governing since 2018, of breaches of income tax law and foreign exchange control regulations. He alleged that Ramaphosa hid proceeds from the sale of cattle to a South Sudanese businessman in cash in a mattress and sofa on his farm in the north-eastern Limpopo province.
The affair nearly led to Ramaphosa’s resignation at the end of 2022.
The successful businessman and multimillionaire was initially severely implicated by a parliamentary inquiry report. However, in a vote on impeachment proceedings requested by the opposition, the majority of members of parliament voted against such proceedings.
According to independent legal experts, the report had largely relied on unverified information.
South Africa’s judicial oversight body had already cleared Ramaphosa of any wrongdoing in November 2023. They said the president had declared his finances as legally required.
The then 71-year-old had also promptly reported the theft to the police, they said. Nevertheless, the prosecuting authority continued to investigate. The $500,000 is still missing.
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