South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied allegations of interfering with the country’s judiciary over delays in the presentation of the final report of a corruption inquiry, reported Africa News.
The investigation commission headed by Justice Raymond Zondo probed allegations of widespread corruption during former President Jacob Zuma’s presidential tenure of nine long years. The commission already handed over its first, second, third and fourth reports to the government and was due to submit the final part of its findings by last Wednesday.
According to a statement by the presidency, the second report was handed over to Ms Phindile Baleni, Director-General in The Presidency, on 1 February 2022, the third report on 1 March 2022 and the fourth report on 29 April 2022.
The submission of the investigation reports have however been delayed several times amid allegations of interference.
According to the statement by the South African presidency, Mr Zondo had communicated last Thursday on the delay and undertook to finalise the report as soon as possible. The commission then said it would deliver it by Sunday, June 19, evening.
“This did not unfortunately happen,” read the statement published on the presidency’s website.
Mr Ramaphosa said that the commission has now agreed to a tentative date of Wednesday, 22 June for the report to be handed over.
“The presidency, therefore, rejects claims that the President has in any manner interfered with the work of the commission or the judiciary as speculated by some opposition parties,” the statement added.
The South African president is facing possibly one of the toughest scandals since assuming power, with the opposition and the critics calling for the president to step aside from his role in both government and in the party.
A criminal complaint by former spy boss Arthur Fraser accuses the president of money laundering, kidnapping and corruption over the alleged theft of $4 million at his farm in 2020.
