Africa-Press – South-Africa. Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe dismissed the State’s application to appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal on questions of law in his acquittal of former state security minister Bongani Bongo on corruption charges.
“The appeal is dismissed,” said Hlophe in an application that took less than an hour.
Hlophe initially presided over Bongo’s trial.
The State applied to have nine questions of law referred to the Supreme Court of Appeal for determination. Bongo was acquitted last year on a count of corruption after being accused of asking Parliament’s Eskom inquiry evidence leader Ntuthuzelo Vanara to call in sick to stymie proceedings at the inquiry in 2017.
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On Monday during the State’s application, Bongo’s advocate Mike Hellens SC said the State’s application to have the questions of law referred to the SCA for determination was a “backdoor appeal”.
Before dismissing the application, Hlophe complained that the Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Nicolette Bell was not in court for her own application. “She is just doing bookwork,” he said.
A visibly relieved Bongo said afterwards: “There was no merit in this appeal. It is just a waste of State resources.”
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