CR17 bank statements will remain sealed, court rules

The Gauteng High Court has dismissed the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) application to have the infamous CR17 bank statements unsealed.

CR17 bank statements remain sealed, court rules

On Tuesday, the court determined that not enough merits were brought about by the Red Berets to warrant the unsealing of Cyril Ramaphosa’s campaign funding for his 2017 ANC presidential bid.

The court’s decision comes after Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s attempt to validate her investigation into Ramaphosa’s 2017 ANC campaign was dismissed by the Constitutional Court.

In that majority judgment, however, Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng had warned that it would be in the interest of justice to clear Ramaphosa from suspicion if the CR17 bank statements were to be made public.

“Financial assistance from individual donors and even the composite amount from the CR17 campaign constituted a personal benefit to the president and created a situation that involved a risk of conflict between the president’s private interests, his pursuit of the ANC presidency with the assistance of private donors, and his official responsibility as Deputy President of the Republic,” Mogoeng had noted.

Julius Malema reacts to court turnout

EFF leader Julius Malema was first to react to the court’s decision. In a tweet, the Red Berets’ commander-in-chief cast doubt on the independence of the court system.

What happened to public interest? Our Courts, to say I'm disappointed, is an understatement. 🤷🏿‍♂️ #CR17 #CR17BankStatements

— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) July 20, 2021

AmaBhungane, a conglomerate made up of South Africa’s leading investigative journalists, was also vested in the exposure of the CR17 bank statements and had entered the EFF’s court bid as a neutral voice pushing for the unsealing of the sensitive campaign documents.

At the time this article was published, the organisation had not issued a response to the ruling.

This is a developing story.