Witness grilled on deviation memo that scored Iqbal Sharma's company Nulane R12m

Day 4 of the Nulane Investments fraud and money laundering trial began with the second state witness being grilled about his version of events leading to the drafting of a controversial deviation document that saw Iqbal Sharma's company scoring a R12m payment.

The high court trial is related to the alleged corrupt feasibility study contract worth R24.9m, a precursor to the controversial Estina dairy farm project in Vrede, in the Free State.

Shadrack Cezula, a section 204 witness, had placed the former CFO, Seipati Dhlamini, and ex-HOD for rural development Peter Thabethe at the centre of the deviation memo he was “instructed” to draft.

Thabethe's lawyer Daniel Mantsha, cross examining the witness, disputed Cezula’s version that Thabethe had called him to check how far he was with the memo and the payment of money to Nulane Investments.

Cezula had told the court on Wednesday that Thabethe had called Dhlamini several times and even called him to check how far were they on putting together a deviation document, which was used to ensure that Nulane Investments scored a R24.9m feasibility study contact which was not put on open tender. 

Mantsha said it was improbable for Thabethe to have called Cezula as he was not in the office on October 6 2011 when the deviation memo was drafted by Cezula.

“That's why it was strange for me that he [Thabethe] called me after he spoke to the CFO,” Cezula responded.

Ishmael Semenya, representing Limakatso Moorosi, told Cezula that it was his recommendation for approval as an acting senior manager for supply chain management that convinced Moorosi to sign the deviation document which was used to pay Nulane Investments.

Semenya said Cezula had not warned Moorosi of the pressure he faced when drafting the letter.

The trial continues.

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