South Africa’s ex-Speaker of Parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has been charged with 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering.
She made her first court appearance after handing herself over to a police station on Thursday morning.
The politician is accused of soliciting bribes in return for awarding contracts during her time as defence minister.
She denied any wrongdoing in court and said: “I do not have a propensity to commit crime.”
But prosecutor Bheki Manyathi told Pretoria Magistrates’ Court there was “ample evidence” against Ms Mapisa-Nqakula. She has been released on bail.
After weeks of investigations, Ms Mapisa-Nqakula resigned on Wednesday, but said this wasn’t an “indication or admission of guilt”.
She said given the “seriousness” of the probe she could not continue her role.
Last month a special police unit raided her Johannesburg home in connection with the corruption investigation.
The 67-year-old veteran of the African National Congress (ANC) party became speaker in 2021. Before that, she served as defence minister for seven years.
Credit: bbc.com
