They include Seipati Dhlamini,Peter Thabethe and Takisi Masiteng who all made their first court appearance today.

ALSO READ: Former Minister and Free State MEC back in court

They joined former Mineral Resources minister and former Free State MEC for Agriculture Mosebenzi Zwane, along with two co-accused, Gupta enterprise employee Ronica Ragavan and Ugeshni Govender, a former employee of the Gupta-owned Sahara company in the dock.

The matter was postponed till 25 January 2023 when suspects are set to make their first court appearance in the Free State High Court. State prosecutor Peter Serunye today informed Magistrate Estelle de Lange that all charges against Estina will be struck off the roll since the company has been liquidated.

Ragavan will represent at least eight companies charged in the matter.

Some of the new accused were initially arrested in 2018 before the matter was provisionally withdrawn for further investigations.

ALSO READ: No new ground made in reviving #Estina criminal case

Zwane and former Free State officials, including then MEC for Agriculture, Mamiki Qabathe, were implicated by whistle-blowers and the DA's Free State chairperson, Roy Jankielsohn.

OFM News previously reported that more than R220 million earmarked for Estina to assist 80 upcoming farmers in Vrede was looted without beneficiaries seeing a single cent. Testimonies made to the Zondo Commission brought to light how the provincial department made a R30 million up-front payment to Estina without any work having been done or services rendered.

The commission has heard how Estina’s bank balance was a mere R16 on 4 July 2012, days before the provincial government deposited an amount of R30 million into its account.

The former minister was the MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Free State when the project was signed off in 2012.

Dhlamini, Thabethe and Ragavan are also the suspects in the R25 million Nulane Investment case, including the so-called Gupta lieutenant Iqbal Sharma.

Eight suspects, including Sharma, former Free State departmental accounting officers and representatives of involved companies, are facing charges of fraud and corruption, amongst others.

ALSO READ: #Estina: State ready for trial

According to the National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigative Directorate’s Sindisiwe Seboka the matter will be back in court on Thursday.

OFM News