Molefe, Gama granted R50k bail in Transnet corruption case
Former Transnet executives Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama have been granted bail of R50,000 each by the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court.
Molefe and Gama, alongside two co-accused, appeared in court on Monday for their alleged role in a multimillion-rand locomotive tender deal linked to state capture.
The state said it would not oppose bail, as the duo would not pose a flight risk.
Spokesperson for the NPA’s Investigating Directorate Against Corruption, Henry Mamothame, said the charges against the accused relate to three Transnet locomotive contracts signed between 2011 and 2014.
Mamothame said the state intends to prove in court that processes in the distribution of the tenders were flawed.
“We are dealing with very complex matters. These matters stem from state capture. In our holistic approach as IDAC, we investigate information that was provided in the state capture commission, so you will realise that we have staggered our approach to arresting and formulating the charges against the accused,” said Mamothame.
READ: Molefe, Gama arrested for Transnet locomotive tender
In court, the state proposed that the accused be given a bail of R200,000 due to the seriousness of the allegations and the money involved.
However, the accused were granted a R50,000 bail.
“These are severe charges levelled against the accused. Therefore, the bail amount that we preferred was based on the fact that we are looking at the charges as very serious and could lead to a serious conviction,” said Mamothame.
Speaking to eNCA outside court, Molefe said that the evidence presented in the case was weak.
“They have not called us to plead. And then they arrested us on another related matter instead of adding on the charges, and they wanted a bail of R200 000. So this is an attempt to use bail as punishment. They wanted us to sleep in custody, not because we were flight risks, but because the bail would be too high. We are happy with the outcome,” said Molefe.
Molefe also slammed NPA head, Shamila Batohi, saying that he believes she is under pressure to prove her capabilities because her term is coming to an end.
The matter was postponed to 6 October for further investigation.
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