Moroadi Cholota is due back in court for pre-trial. Picture: NPA
Ace Magashule’s former personal assistant, Moroadi Cholota, is expected to appear in the High Court in Bloemfontein on Wednesday morning for pre-trial proceedings.
The 37-year-old faces charges of fraud, money laundering and corruption pertaining to the R255 million Free State asbestos roofing case.
The political science student was extradited from the US in early August.
She was studying at Bay Atlantic University in Maryland and has been in custody in the US since April this year.
Cholota, who is out on R2,500 bail, has maintained her innocence, citing the State’s case against her as “weak”.
She launched an urgent application against the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to dismiss the charges against her, which was subsequently dismissed.
Cholota also wanted the court to declare her extradition from the US unlawful.
Reasons for the dismissal were not provided.
In her affidavit, Cholota claimed that the NPA’s intention has always been to “degrade, humiliate and effect cruel punishment on me for what the State deems as a failure to co-operate with it”.
“As I stated previously, the Asbestos Project has been investigated at length by other State agencies over and above the State Capture Commission, such as the Public Protector, the Special Investigating Unit and the Auditor General.
“In none of these reports was I ever mentioned, let alone implicated.”
There are a total of 18 accused in the matter, including Ace Magashule and businessman Edwin Sodi.
IOL News