Staff Reporter
Former Transnet board member and Gupta family associate Iqbal Sharma and former Free State Agriculture and Rural Development head Mbana Peter Thabethe will apply for bail in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on Monday morning.
The two made a brief initial court appearance Thursday following their arrest on Wednesday together with two accomplices, Limakatso Moorosi, also a former head of the provincial agriculture department, and Seipati Sylvia Dhlamini, the department’s former chief financial officer.
The two women successfully applied for bail later on the same day and were freed after paying R10 000 each.
However, Sharma and Thabethe elected to apply for bail on Monday with their legal representatives indicating they needed more time to prepare.
They are currently being held at the Bainsvlei Police Station.
In a statement released on Sunday afternoon, the Investigating Directorate (ID), a unit of the National Prosecuting Authority, said the state will oppose bail.
“The NPA’s Investigating Directorate plans to oppose bail for the two accused . . .” ID spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka said.
“We are basically going to bring the argument before court as to what our reasons are for opposing bail . . .” she added without elaborating further.
The pair is among the 17 accused who face charges relating to defrauding the Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The fraud is in connection with a R25-million feasibility study dating back to 2011 that was irregularly granted to Nulane Investment 204 (Pty) Ltd, a company owned and controlled by Sharma.
The company had to provide a report to the department within seven months.
Nulane, however, subcontracted the work to Deloitte Consulting (Pty) Ltd for R1.5 million.
Furthermore, it subcontracted the work already completed by Deloitte to the United Arab Emirates-based Gateway Limited and paid them over R19 million.
From there, the funds were diverted to Islandsite Investments 180 (Pty) Ltd, a company owned and controlled by the Gupta family.
The accused face charges of fraud and money laundering.
The former government officials are also charged with contravention of the Public Finance Management Act.
The fifth suspect in the matter, Iqbal Sharma’s brother-in-law and a representative of Nulane Investments, Dinesh Patel, will formally appear in court on June 15, owing to health reasons.
They are charged together with four companies, Nulane Investments 204 (Pty) Ltd, Wone Management (Pty) Ltd, Pragat Investments (Pty) Ltd and Islandsite Investments 180 (Pty) Ltd.
The other accused are not currently out of the country and are being pursued by South African authorities with the help of Interpol.