ANC CHIEF FACES ARREST
… Hawks secure arrest warrant for Ace Magashule in R255m asbestos corruption probe
JOHANNESBURG - ANC secretary-gen- eral Ace Magashule is set to be charged with various corruption-re- lated counts this week.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, com- monly known as the Hawks, confirmed that a warrant was issued for Magashule’s arrest.
He is expected to appear in a Bloemfontein court on Friday.
The charges relate to a con- troversial R255 million asbes- tos contract which was issued when he was the premier of the Free State.
The province’s acting di- rector of public prosecutions (DPP), advocate Navilla Somaru, issued the warrant.
Hawks Free State spokes- person Captain Lynda Steyn said the DPP signed the war- rant yestersday.
“That is right, I can confirm that an arrest warrant has been issued for Mr Magashule,” she said.
Steyn added that Magashule was expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
“This is in relation to an investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation Unit in the Free State in relation to the asbes- tos matter,” she said.
In the past, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) sources told News24 the in- stitution would only charge high-profile political figures if it was sure it had a winnable case.
Speculation that Magashule received kickbacks as part of the deal deepened when Edwin Sodi, one of the busi- nessman who secured the tender, revealed that a spread- sheet, which contained the initials AM and seemingly de- tailed officials who were paid money or received gifts, was indeed created on his laptop.
When Daily Maverick broke news about the arrest warrant, Magashule was on the cam- paign trail in Soweto, ahead of the upcoming by-elections which are scheduled to be held in the area on Sunday.
The ANC leader seemingly downplayed the development, saying he would consult his lawyers later in the day.
“I will talk to my lawyers. It has been coming all the time so I am not worried at all,” he told reporters. – NEWS24.