Expectations are that the case will be transferred to the local High Court during the virtual proceedings. According to the National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigating Directorate, the docket has been disclosed to all the accused to enable the defence to adequately get the ball rolling on trial preparations. 

The accused include the former Deputy Director-General of the Department of Trade and Industry and Transnet board member, Iqbal Sharma; the former Free State Agriculture Department Head, Peter Thabethe; current Deputy Director-General at the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Sylvia Dlamini; Bloem Water Chief Executive Officer, Limakatso Moorosi; and Sharma’s businessman brother-in-law, Dinesh Patel.

The accused were arrested in June 2021. The former and current government officials – Thabethe, Dlamini and Moorosi – and Patel were released on R 10 000 bail by the Regional Court Magistrate, Estelle de Lange, and Mbuyiselo Didi respectively, whereas alleged Gupta affiliate Sharma was denied bail owing to De Lange deeming him to be a flight risk. 

READ MORE: 'Only 10% of Iqbal Sharma’s estate lies in SA' - reveals state

After spending a month behind bars, Bloemfontein High Court Judge Joseph Mhlambi overturned De Lange's decision pertaining to Sharma, granting him R500 000 bail.

The R24,9 million feasibility study falling under the Mohoma Mobung initiative was awarded to Nulane Investments, in which Sharma was a director in 2011. Patel on behalf of Nulane thereafter began engaging Deloitte to subcontract the study, which the forensic auditing firm eventually did for R 1,5 million. 

However, Nulane then subcontracted the work already carried out by Deloitte to Gateway Limited and paid them R19 million. The state alleges the funds were thereafter laundered into varied accounts thereafter, including that of Islandsite Investments owned by the Gupta family.

Islandsite Investments, which according to reports owns 40% of Oakbay Investments, the controversial Gupta mansion in Saxonwold and the family's Cape Town home, is presently under the care of business rescue practitioners.

The state has, in the light of the money laundering allegations, approached Interpol to have them issue red notices for Atul and Rajesh Gupta, as well as their wives Chetali and Arti. Whilst red notices for the Gupta family have been requested, the notices have been issued and greenlit for their associates: former Nulane Investments Bank of Baroda account signatory Ankit Jain; director of Wone Management, Ravindra Nath; the directors of Pragat Investments, Ramesh Bhat and Jagdish Parekh.

READ MORE: #Guptas dealt a blow in Vrede adjacent AFU case

In August 2021, Bloemfontein High Court Judge President Cagney Musi ruled that the business rescue practitioners assigned to manage Islandsite Investments have the legal standing to represent the company in legal proceedings, and not the directors of the company who are, in fact, opposed to the provisional restraint order against the company.

During proceedings meant to confirm said June 2021 order - which seized assets belonging to Iqbal Sharma, his wife Tarina Patel, and the Gupta family - it was revealed that the Guptas, via their legal counsel Mike Hellens, are not in favour of their company being represented by BRPs: Knoop and Kloppers.

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