PRETORIA, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — South Africa’s highest court has ruled that Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane lied under oath and acted in bad faith while investigating a bank bailout.
The Constitutional Court upheld a High Court ruling that ordered Mkhwebane to pay $62,000 in legal fees in a dispute between her office and South Africa’s Reserve Bank.
Mkhwebane previously denied any wrongdoing.
It is the latest controversy to hit Mkhwebane, who has been accused of undermining President Cyril Ramaphosa’s war against high-level corruption.
Last week, Mkhwebane ruled that Ramaphosa had misled parliament over a campaign donation and should be investigated, following a complaint from the Democratic Alliance opposition party.
Ramaphosa said he would be mounting a legal challenge. He denied the allegations, saying her findings were “fundamentally and irretrievably flawed”.
Mkhwebane has defended her work, saying it is being done according to the law and the constitution.
South African courts overruled Mkhwebane on several occasions recently. — NNN-AGENCIES
