By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Pretoria High Court has postponed former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s corruption case, granting her legal team more time to review a voluminous docket.
Dressed in a green jacket, the sobbing Mapisa-Nqakula appeared briefly at the Pretoria High Court on Monday.
Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 corruption charges and one charge of money laundering, linked to allegations that she accepted R4.5 million in bribes while serving as Defence Minister.
The case centres on tenders awarded in exchange for cash from defence contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu.
During the proceedings, her new lawyer, Advocate Cronje Kriel, informed Judge Mokhine Mosopa that he had not had sufficient time to study the docket, which consists of 26 arch lever files, as he only received it last week.
“At this stage, we are working on a docket that we have not finalised and we haven’t perused it,” he said.
Kriel also revealed that the defence intends to subpoena bank statements linked to the money laundering and corruption charges against his client.
He estimated the process would take six weeks.
Mosopa, however, expressed concern about further delays in a case that has already faced setbacks.
State prosecutor Paul Louw told the court that the defence plans to make representations to the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Shamila Batohi, to determine whether there is a case to answer.
A representation is a formal request made to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) by an accused person to challenge the decision to prosecute.
If successful, it can lead to the withdrawal of charges.
Louw asked for the case to be provisionally postponed until 21 November.
“This is for the defence to take instructions and possibly to make representations and for a result to those representations,” he said.
The defence confirmed that the matter would again face another postponement when it returns on that date.
Mosopa noted that the state was not opposed to the subpoena of bank records or the filing of representations.
Therefore, he granted the postponement, while addressing Mapisa-Nqakula directly.
“Please take this time to consult with your counsel so that on the 21 of November we have a clear direction,” the judge told Mapisa-Nqakula.
Mapisa-Nqakula was arrested on March 22, 2024, after handing herself over to the police at the Lyttelton police station in Tshwane.