A Gupta lieutenant, Iqbal Sharma, and former Free State Department of Agriculture accounting officers are standing trial for fraud involving R25 million stolen from a feasibility study about a flagship project in 2011 and 2012. 

According to the Investigative Directorate's (ID) Sindisiwe Seboka, the matter will sit to continue finalising pre-trial issues, ahead of the trial scheduled to be heard next year from 23 January to 03 March. 

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Seboka says the R25 million was allegedly paid to Sharma's Nulane Investments, purportedly to ascertain the feasibility of the Vrede Dairy Project under the "Mohoma Mobung" initiative, with the presumption that Nulane Investments had unique skills to perform the work.  

This criminal case was also featured in the latest instalment of the State Capture report handed over to President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday night by the chair of the commission and Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo.

ALSO READ: #StateCapture: Free State locals taken for a ride by department

"This is one of the key state capture related matters that has been before court since June 2021 and it is an important milestone that the pre-trial court appearance coincides with the final installment of the Zondo Commission report. 

"This reflects the significant work and traction that the ID has already made in some of these key state capture matters," Seboka adds.

ALSO READ: #Vrede adjacent case back in Free State Court

In his report, Zondo says residents were taken for a ride as they were persuaded to sell their cattle on the basis that the government would donate dairy cows to them, which never happened.

OFM News