Parliamentary Phala Phala probe referred to expert panel
A request by the African Transformation Movement’s (ATM) for Parliament to set up an inquiry into the Phala Phala saga will be referred to an independent panel.
This was confirmed by National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on Friday.
The ATM submitted a proposed motion to Mapisa-Nqakula in June, requesting an enquiry into the removal of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The president is facing allegations of money laundering, among others, related to the theft of a large amount of foreign currency at his Phala Phala farm in 2020.
The panel will now decide if Ramaphosa has a case to answer.
"The function of the independent panel is to conduct a preliminary assessment of the proposed motion, and in so doing, must in terms of Rule 129G, make a recommendation to the Speaker within 30 days, whether sufficient evidence exists to show the president committed any of the violations specified in the motion,” says Parliament’s spokesperson Moloto Mothapo.
“A panel referral therefore does not constitute a parliamentary impeachment process, but an assessment of the supplied evidence by legal and constitutional experts to determine if, in terms of the Constitution, it is adequate to warrant a further process.”
