A case of fraud has been opened against the vocal parliamentary leader of the National Freedom Party (NFP) Ahmed Munzoor Shaik-Emam who stands accused of misappropriating party funds.
NFP secretary-general Canaan Mdletshe said a case had been opened at Durban’s Umbilo police station.
He said Shaik-Emam was also allegedly served with a notice to appear before the party’s disciplinary tribunal in July but failed to attend.
The SAPS confirmed a case of fraud had been opened.
SAPS spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said between last December and January this year, an amount of R1.2 million was allegedly defrauded from NFP party coffers. The docket has since been taken to a senior public prosecutor for a decision.
However, Shaik-Emam, a founding member of the party and MP, said he had not received any information with regards to allegations of misappropriation of party funds, other than a notice to appear before a disciplinary hearing.
He claimed the NFP had tried everything to remove him, first by asking him to resign as an MP and, most recently, by trying to redeploy him to another province for work purposes. He said when this failed, intimidation and threats were sent to him in a letter requesting financial statements which he responded to.
“I have been the treasurer-general of the NFP but have never been the sole signatory of the accounts. During my term as the treasurer-general all-party accounts were paid timeously, financial statements were provided, but not at any stage were such allegations made.
“This is an attempt to find ways of removing me so that they could get their hands on the parliamentary resources as those behind this are all unemployed, have no source of income, and neither does the party have any source of income,” he explained.
Shaik-Emam showed Independent Media a letter from the NFP that was sent to him in July commending him for his performance and calling for his redeployment.
He also provided a letter from Parliament which rejected the NFP’s request to remove him as the matter was still to be heard in court.
According to Shaik-Emam, in terms of appearing at a disciplinary tribunal, the NFP does not have a national structure in place, and those acting as office bearers were unlawfully representing the party.
There are currently two matters in court, one involves an alleged illegal NFP conference and the other involves the interdicting of members from acting on behalf of the party due to the unlawful conference, Shaik-Emam said.
“This matter is being handled in the Pietermaritzburg High Court and will be heard again on October 28, wherein the applicants, including myself, have made an application to set aside the unlawful and unconstitutional meeting that took place in Ulundi in December 2019, where the respondents are alleged to have conducted their own conference.”
“Currently, there is also an interim interdict in place restraining any members of the NFP from conducting themselves as national office bearers of the party pending the finalisation of the matter before court. A final decision on the interdict will be heard in court on Monday (tomorrow),” he said. The NFP was established in 2011 by Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi, former chairperson of the IFP.
The party has two MPs in the national assembly and one in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature. The NFP lost four seats in the national assembly and four in the KZN provincial legislature during the last election.
Sunday Independent
