AfriForum lay criminal complaint against VBS-accused Malema and Shivambu

AfriForum

Cape Town — AfriForum has opened a criminal case against the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leaders, Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu, for their involvement in the VBS Mutual Bank scandal.

Former VBS Mutual Bank CEO, Tshifhiwa Matodzi, implicated Malema and Shivambu in pocketing up to R16 million from the bank through bogus gratifications and unlawful payments.

In response to the allegations against Malema and Shivambu, AfriForum filed the criminal complaint on Friday and asked authorities to investigate the two politicians and the political party as a criminal enterprise, EWN reported.

“We believe in equality of the law, that is what we are all about. We want to ensure that this matter gets the attention it deserves. We think there is a reluctance by the NPA to take action and to prosecute Mr Malema and Shivambu,” AfriForum’s Gerrie Nel, said.

According to The Citizen, AfriForum’s Kallie Kriel echoed Nel’s view that authorities should investigate Malema and Shivambu on various charges.

“The planned and repeated fraud, corruption and money laundering offences allegedly committed by EFF leaders Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu may meet the requirements for racketeering, as defined in the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA),” Kriel said.

He also alleged that the criminal conduct should not be considered in isolation from the so-called ‘VBS scandal’ suspects.

“I submit that the publicly available documented information constitutes enough reasonable suspicion of the establishment of an EFF enterprise as determined by POCA (Prevention of Organised Crime Act) and a history of planned, ongoing and repeated participation or involvement in criminal conduct by these individuals,” he said.

As reported by IOL, AfriForum wants the authorities to broaden the scope of their investigation to include previous allegations of theft, money laundering, fraud, and corruption.

“These begin with the party’s registration with alleged proceeds of crime, followed by allegations that it benefited from large tenders awarded in metros, and allegedly used the party’s resources to fund their lifestyles.

“The most recent revelations, which have been in the public domain for years and make for an uncomplicated case, paint the clearest picture yet of what may be identified as ongoing criminal conduct,” the advocacy group said.

Malema has, meanwhile, maintained his innocence amid the allegations. He did, however, state that the EFF was not involved in the downfall of the bank and that there was no evidence to back up the claims against him and Shivambu.

Picture: X/@kiakili_

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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