South African prosecutors have announced that they will not file criminal charges against President Cyril Ramaphosa in connection with a robbery at his private hunting ranch, Farah Farah, in 2020.
The $580,000 in funds, which Mr Ramaphosa said were the proceeds from the sale of the buffalo, was said to have been hidden inside a sofa when it was stolen.
The president was accused of hiding cash in furniture at his ranch to evade South Africa’s foreign exchange laws.
Ramaphosa and “Farmgate”
The ‘Farmgate’ issue, which has become a major political controversy in South Africa, began in June 2022 when former South African spy boss Arthur Fraser accused the president of covering up a theft that occurred in 2020 at a game farm in Limpopo province. This caused an outbreak.
Mr Fraser, a close ally of Mr Ramaphosa’s political rival Jacob Zuma, claims an estimated $4 million was stolen and may have been the proceeds of money laundering, tax evasion and foreign exchange violations over cash. did.
He also accused members of the Presidential Guard of tracking and kidnapping the thieves and bribing them to hide large sums of foreign currency the president had kept.
Money stolen from Ramaphosa’s private animal sanctuary Farah Farah in 2020 Image: AP Photo/Photo Alliance
His claims forced Mr Ramaphosa to admit that the theft had taken place, but the president denied any wrongdoing, reported the break-in to the head of the Police Protection Unit and disputed the amount involved. He said he chanted.
Ramaphosa said the money was for a buffalo purchased by a Sudanese businessman and confirmed the deal in an interview with British media, but did not explain why the $580,000 was hidden in the sofa.
His presidency was thrown into turmoil ahead of a key party leadership vote.
Despite an ongoing criminal investigation, he survived the scandal and was re-elected as South Africa’s leader in June.
Cleared Ramaphosa for the third time
On Thursday, prosecutors announced they had decided not to charge anyone against Ramaphosa or his personal security detail.
“This decision is based on a comprehensive investigation process,” the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said.
NPA spokesperson Mthunzi Maga told Newsroom Africa Channel that the investigation had yielded more than 150 statements.
However, the prosecution determined that “the available evidence presented to the prosecution does not support any charges.”
Ramaphosa was also cleared in separate investigations by the Reserve Bank and an independent watchdog.
Two men and a woman were arrested last year, one of whom was said to have worked on Ramaphosa’s farm, and were charged with burglary and theft.
lo/ss (AFP, Associated Press)
