Cape Town — The former personal assistant (PA) of ex-Free State Premier, Ace Magashule, has been extradited from the USA and is expected back in South Africa this evening.
Moroadi Cholota was considered a key witness in a corrupt asbestos tender scheme of R255 million against Magashule and faced charges after she refused to cooperate. She has since backtracked on the agreement and is now an accused in the case, EWN reported.
The scheme alleged that multiple high-ranking Free State government officials received tenders from money that was meant to fund the removal of harmful asbestos in some of the province’s poorest homes.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
Ace Magashule’s PA has FINALLY been extradited from the United States of America and is expected to land in O R Tambo Airport around 5pm today. She is escorted by a heavily guarded SAPS team. She is a key witness in the ASBESTOS matter. This is massive news.… pic.twitter.com/efjlMHlVoj
— Goolam (@goolammv) August 8, 2024
Instead of doing so, it is reported that corruption-accused businessman, Edwin Sodi, and his 15 co-accused, only spent R21 million on getting the work done, News24 reported.
The Free State’s Director of Prosecutions, Navilla Somaru, said that up until meeting with Cholota in the US in November 2021, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was of the view that Cholota was a State witness.
However, when she was interviewed, she changed her tone and failed to co-operate with the State.
The NPA decided that Cholota would be charged as the 17th person charged, but she said that the charges were against were politically motivated.
Her legal team said she faced fraud, corruption and money laundering charges based on her refusal to be a State witness and her association with Magashule, not because she was implicated in the crimes.
Judge Erin Aslan in Maryland ordered Cholota to stay behind bars while US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, decided to authorise her extradition.
Aslan found that “the evidence before this court is sufficient to justify Ms Cholota’s commitment for trial had the offences with which she is charged been committed in the United States”.
She will be back in SA this evening, escorted on a plane by SAPS officers and Interpol.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
