Gerrie Nel: NPA misunderstood law in Mbalula Dubai trip case

Lobby group AfriForum says the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) acted irrationally when it decided against prosecuting former Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula for his controversial Dubai trip.

In 2016, Mbalula took his family on a vacation to the United Arab Emirates, which cost a whopping R680,000. It was later revealed that the trip was largely funded by Sedgars Sports, which at the time was a service provider to the government.

READ:  AfriForum vows to prosecute Mbalula for Dubai trip of more than R500k

In 2018, the Public Protector found the matter constituted a conflict of interest and a violation of the Executive Members’ Ethics Code.

However, the NPA stated there was not enough evidence to prosecute Mbalula.

Speaking to the media today, AfriForum’s Head of Private Prosecution, Gerrie Nel, said Mbalula has a case to answer to.

"We are approaching the NPA; we are saying to the NPA that your decision to not prosecute because [we] now have the case docket is irrational and it's not in terms of the law. It's a deliberate misunderstanding of the definition of corruption."