Cape Town – Lobby group AfriForum has dropped its private prosecution case against the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
AfriForum initially claimed that the EFF provided fraudulent proof of payment for a legal battle cost order.
The payment, amounting to over R300,000, stemmed from a 2017 legal dispute in which AfriForum successfully interdicted the EFF from advocating for the invasion of unoccupied land.
AfriForum suspected the receipts were doctored and launched a private prosecution investigation.
However, Standard Bank later confirmed the authenticity of the receipts, explaining that they were printed on an outdated template.
🚨Standard Bank Apologises to the mighty EFF🚨
“We are investigating the inaccurate communication and will be engaging AfriForum to gain clarity on the circumstances that led to the error.
We take this matter very seriously and apologise to the EFF”Link https://t.co/QWbR98UIl1 pic.twitter.com/aqVSW7kV5Z
— Andi Motsepe (@AndiswaMadikazi) November 10, 2023
AfriForum accepted Standard Bank’s apology and clarification, marking the end of the case.
Standard Bank has apologised to @AfriForum for the erroneous email they sent to our lawyers stating that certain documents regarding @Julius_S_Malema & the @EFFSouthAfrica‘s payments to AfriForum were “fraudulent”. With this new turn of events AfriForum hereby update our previous…
— Kallie Kriel (@kalliekriel) November 12, 2023
“Indeed, Standard Bank issued a formal apology to AfriForum for erroneously stating in an email to our lawyers that certain documents regarding EFF payments were “fraudulent”.
“AfriForum, therefore, updated our previous communication on this matter in accordance with Standard Bank’s clarification that the documents relating to the payments of around R316 000 by the EFF to AfriForum were not fraudulent. AfriForum accepts Standard Bank’s apology, as well as their explanation and correction of their error,” the bank said, according to EWN.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
