Home

Diko insists the President has nothing to hide

Busisiwe Mkhwebane
Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Presidency has confirmed that confidential banking information about the contributors to and recipients from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s CR17 campaign had been leaked to the media.

Spokesperson Khusela Diko says the Presidency has noted with grave concern what amounts to a violation of the Constitution’s right to privacy.

Information supposedly held by the Public Protector, includes bank statements of third parties which record private conversations and which are strictly confidential, were reportedly leaked.

Diko says it’s concerning that highly confidential details are leaked.

“The Presidency has noted with grave concern a worrying trend during the course of the Public Protector’s investigation into allegations that the President violated the Code of Ethics. Now most recently a private confidential correspondent sent by the President to the court copying the PP,  a private confidential correspondent that was sent by the President’s legal representatives copying the PP – in that the President was asking the court to keep certain records that the PP has in her possession away from the public; and the reason he said that those are third party transactions.”

However, she is adamant that the President has nothing to hide.

“There is no regulation that demands that any party require politicians to disclose their personal intra-party political funding. The President has said on record that if such a policy existed he would comply with it. The CR17 was undertaken in a manner that is within the legal system. There is no crime, no public funds but rather you have 100 private individuals who came together and donated to this campaign.”

The Presidency this week has called on  the Public Protector to act in line with rules that demand that any information that she has in her possession be kept confidential.

Ramaphosa’s lawyers have asked the High Court in Pretoria to ensure that the bank statements that Mkhwebane used in her BOSASA report are not made public.

Watch related video below:

Author

MOST READ