DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach acquitted on all charges

The Democratic Alliance says it welcomes the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court’s decision to acquit its MP Glynnis Breytenbach on all the charges she was facing.

“The DA has held that these charges were trumped up from the start. The DA is satisfied that justice has prevailed‚” the party said in a statement.

According to the DA‚ Magistrate Brian Nemavhidi found that Breytenbach had not broken any law and that the charges preferred against her had no basis.

Breytenbach and her former attorney Gerhard Wagenaar were arrested in March 2016 on four charges of contravening the National Prosecuting Authority Act and two of defeating the ends of justice.

The National Prosecuting Authority added charges of fraud and perjury to the four the pair were facing. The NPA claimed Breytenbach and Wagenaar destroyed official and private data on Breytenbach’s computer in contravention of the NPA Act when Breytenbach was still head of the NPA’s specialised commercial crimes unit in Pretoria.