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| Cyril Ramaphosa |
As South Africa’s president,
Cyril Ramaphosa steps up efforts to crackdown on corruption, the
justice minister said on Tuesday that they will probe allegations that
state attorneys defrauded government of billions of dollars by
deliberately losing cases.
Ramaphosa, who replaced former president
Jacob Zuma in February, has made the fight against corruption a key
plank of his administration as he seeks to restore investor confidence
after the scandal-plagued Zuma era.
Attorneys accused of colluding
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU), a
state entity which probes malpractice in government, will look into
hundreds of cases where state attorneys are accused of colluding with
private lawyers to agree the settlement of fictitious claims.
“The investigation will help the Department of Justice to lay to rest
concerns that have been raised,” Justice Minister Michael Masutha told
reporters.
“Where appropriate … disciplinary action as well as criminal
investigations will be initiated against alleged perpetrators to ensure
that firm action is taken to uproot corrupt activities.”
In the health ministry, one of the departments worst affected by the
alleged fraud, claims totalling 56 billion rand ($4 billion) will be
investigated, Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi said at the same
briefing.
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