Rulani Mokwena has been slapped with a two-month suspended prison term by Algerian authorities after being found guilty of possessing undeclared foreign currency.
The €14,200 (about R274,000) cash — the figure has also been reported to be about R300,000 — found in his possession at Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers at the weekend was confiscated, the country’s media reported.
Mokwena, who was coaching MC Alger before being recruited by Al Ittihad of Libya late last week, had the undeclared foreign currency in his possession when authorities detained him at the airport.
The South African embassy confirmed it had been made aware of his detention. He was also fined 50,000 Algeria dinars, or just under R6,500, according to reports.
Mokwena ’s sentence is what had been predicted by finance lawyer Tebogo Malatji, who spoke to Sowetan before the sentence was confirmed late on Monday night.
Every country requires you to declare the purpose of possessing funds because they control the movement of currency between countries.
If you have landed and you haven’t declared currency, authorities will detain you so they can interrogate the source of the funds, the same as when you leave.
— Finance lawyer Tebogo Malatji
“Currency is considered as part of capital assets,” Malatji said.
“If you have landed [in a foreign country], you declare the currency so they know what you are bringing in from whatever destination you are coming from.”
Mokwena, it is understood, was not aware about the rules governing currency possession in Algeria.
“If you have landed and you haven’t declared currency, authorities will detain you so they can interrogate the source of the funds, the same as when you leave,” Malatji said.
“They might hit you with a penalty or fine for failure to prove the source of the funds was legitimate. You will be detained for as long as they complete the initial investigation and decide to say you leave with the funds, or do you leave them behind?”
Former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns coach Mokwena is expected to link up with former player Thembinkosi Lorch at Libyan giants Al Ittihad after parting ways with Algerian champions MC Alger.
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