THE Democratic Alliance (DA) has asked the US Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate whether President Cyril Ramaphosa was involved in money laundering, after it emerged that foreign currency had been stolen from his game farm.
At a media briefing on Tuesday, DA leader John Steenhuisen vowed to get to the bottom of the saga and called on the president to come clean.
“Specifically, we have requested that the FBI considers investigating the source of the fund and whether the money was brought into South Africa legitimately and declared to the appropriate authorities,” said Steenhuisen.
“We have also recommended ledges or journals which would have recorded the alleged sale of wild game at an auction be requested from the president to determine the identity of those involved in this suspicious cash transaction.”
The party has also asked South Africa’s Financial Intelligence Centre, SA Reserve Bank, SA Revenue Services and the National Assembly to investigate the matter.
“The president’s decision to remain silent may be due to good legal advice but it is politically dangerous,” Steenhuisen said.
“He is accused of contravening a number of laws, which he as the president, he has sworn to uphold.”
The robbery at Ramaphosa’s farm in the northern Limpopo province in February 2020 was revealed this month by the former head of the State Security Agency, Arthur Fraser, who filed charges against the president for allegedly concealing the crime.
Ramaphosa confirmed that money he made by selling animals was taken, but far less than the more than $4 million Fraser alleged, and denied any wrongdoing. He’s refused to provide further details on what transpired.
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