FLOWER FOUNTAIN – The Free State High Court in Bloemfontein has rejected a bid by the former PA for then Free State Premier Ace Magashule to avoid prosecution in the asbestos trial.
The court ruled that Moroadi Cholota – one of 18 suspects including Magashule – will stand trial in the high-profile case over alleged fraud and corruption relating to an asbestos roofing contract in the Free State.
The case will resume on March 2.
The High Court’s decision follows a ruling by the Constitutional Court of South Africa, which upheld an appeal by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the extradition case after a lower court decision freed Cholota.
READ | Asbestos test involving Magashule, 16 others postponed until March
Cholota had challenged her extradition from the United States and initially succeeded, prompting the NPA to petition the Constitutional Court to overturn that ruling.
The apex court ruled that while the extradition process was flawed, it did not invalidate the criminal proceedings against her.
The Free State High Court was then forced to rule on Cholota’s special plea, which it has now dismissed.
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