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Gupta associate Iqbal Sharma expected to appear in court on Monday

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Former Transnet board member and longtime Gupta associate, Iqbal Sharma, is expected to appear in the Regional Court in Bloemfontein on Monday alongside three senior officials of the Free State Department of Agriculture.

The accused are facing charges relating to R24.9 million the Free State Department of Agriculture paid for a feasibility study on potential farming projects in the province.

Sharma is among a group of 17 accused who are facing charges of fraud, corruption money laundering, and contravening the Public Finance Management Act.

The court proceedings are expected to set a trial date.

In July, the High Court granted Iqbal Sharma half-a-million-rand bail after his initial bail application was turned down.

Former Free State Department of Agriculture officials Peter Thabethe, Limakatso Moorosi, Seipati Dlamini and Sharma’s brother-in-law Dinesh Patel, were released on R10 000 bail each in June.

Two of the Gupta brothers, Atul and Rajesh, and their wives Chetali and Arti are also among the accused.

The Guptas are not in South Africa and the state has obtained arrest warrants for the brothers and their wives, in connection with the case.

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