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Free State High Court Orders Moroadi Cholota to Stand Trial in R255 Million Asbestos Case

The judge found the court retains jurisdiction after a second trial-within-a-trial.

Overview

  • Judge Philip Loubser dismissed Moroadi Cholota’s special plea, ruling the Bloemfontein court can try her on the charges.
  • The court found she became a suspect after declining to cooperate, citing evidence from her laptop and prior Zondo Commission testimony.
  • Findings from US proceedings, including a probable-cause ruling and later authorization of extradition, undercut her claims that prosecutors misled American authorities.
  • On 23 January 2026 the Constitutional Court held the NPA lacked authority to request her extradition, yet it did not halt the case and remitted the special plea to the high court.
  • Cholota is one of 18 accused alongside figures including Ace Magashule, with the trial set to resume on 2 March 2026 on fraud, corruption, money-laundering and PFMA charges.