DA demands Intaka records

Supplied

.

Durban -

The DA has demanded the records of a decision to drop charges against six people, including two high-profile ANC politicians, implicated in a corruption case.

KwaZulu-Natal Democratic Alliance leader Sizwe Mchunu said the party had written a letter to this effect to the province's acting director of public prosecutions (DPP) Moipone Noko.

“ 1/8We 3/8 demanded that the record of the decision to drop charges... be made available to us.”

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) announced on Friday that Noko had withdrawn charges against the six accused of fraud and corruption in the Intaka case.

The two ANC politicians were provincial legislature speaker Peggy Nkonyeni and economic development MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu. The others against whom charges were dropped were Lindelihle Mkhwanazi, Nozibele Phindela, Jabulani Thusi, and Ian Blose.

The six had been linked to the sale of water purification plants to the KwaZulu-Natal health department, allegedly at inflated prices.

Initially, 25 people were implicated in the so-called “amigos” corruption case, which will be heard on October 1 in the Durban High Court.

The “amigos case” is a corruption matter involving Uruguayan businessman Gaston Savoi.

Savoi's company Intaka allegedly paid bribes to ensure that a contract to supply water purifiers and oxygen generators to hospitals, at hugely inflated prices, went its way.

He will go on trial with former provincial treasury boss Sipho Shabalala, who allegedly received a R1 million donation for the ANC.

Noko was appointed in July after KwaZulu-Natal's acting head of prosecutions Simphiwe Mlotshwa was ousted, reportedly for refusing to withdraw the charges against the two politicians.

Mchunu said the circumstances around the decision to drop the charges were questionable given the removal of Mlotshwa.

“It is highly suspicious that the state no longer plans to charge Nkonyeni, Mabuyakhulu and others with fraud and corruption,” he said. - Sapa