The head of South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Vusi Pikoli, on Monday briefed the presiding officers of Parliament and the chief whips of the various political parties on the progress being made in the ”Travelgate” prosecutions.
At a briefing to the media afterwards, Pikoli indicated that 30 people will face the court on July 31. This included 23 sitting and former members of Parliament as well as seven travel agents.
It does not include a number of MPs who have already plea-bargained in connection with the misuse of travel vouchers.
Weekend reports indicated that Minister of Home Affairs Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and African National Congress chief whip Mbulelo Goniwe had made arrangements to pay back money owed for travel. Goniwe had apparently paid back an amount of about R70 000, according to one Sunday newspaper.
Pikoli, however, did not detail the names of MPs involved or whether they included ministers.
He did say that the authority was confident they had a strong enough case to convict those accused.
Asked whether sitting parliamentarians accused of the misuse of travel vouchers should be suspended from Parliament while the cases were being brought against them, speaker Baleka Mbete said that she would have a better idea ”tomorrow”. It is understood that the matter will be discussed with the various party whips.
Democratic Alliance — the official opposition — chief whip Douglas Gibson confirmed in a statement, meanwhile, that earlier on Monday Parliament’s oversight authority (POA), which he described as Parliament’s ”most powerful body”, met the NPA for a briefing on the investigation into Travelgate.
”ANC chief whip Mbulelo Goniwe indicated that his conscience is clear and there was no reason for him to recuse himself. As was his right, he then stayed.”
Gibson reported that the NPA gave a comprehensive overview of the travel-fraud investigation from inception to the preparations for the criminal trial. He noted that no further MPs would be charged unless additional evidence came to light at the trial in July.
That trial may last into next year.
He said the new travel system recently introduced into Parliament seemed to be good but the NPA would look at it to see whether there were any loopholes.
The POA would, he reported, invite the liquidators to brief them soon so that Parliament was fully aware of the civil aspects of the collection of the millions of rands owed to Parliament.
Gibson said his party would only be satisfied when all those who were involved had paid the penalty. — I-Net Bridge