CAPE TOWN, May 26 (Xinhua) -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday filed a legal challenge in the Western Cape High Court against an independent panel's report on the Phala Phala case.
In his application, Ramaphosa asked the court to review and set aside the report, particularly the section that recommended Parliament consider impeachment proceedings against him.
The Phala Phala case relates to the alleged theft of about 580,000 U.S. dollars in cash from Ramaphosa's private game farm in Limpopo Province in 2020, which later sparked public controversy over whether the funds were properly declared to authorities.
The independent panel, chaired by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, concluded in its 2022 report that there was prima facie evidence of serious misconduct by Ramaphosa in connection with the case.
In December 2022, the National Assembly, where the ruling African National Congress held a majority, voted against adopting the report and proceeding with impeachment.
The president's legal challenge came after the Constitutional Court ruled earlier this month that Parliament had acted unlawfully in rejecting the panel's findings.
Following that ruling, National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza on Monday appointed a 31-member committee to reconsider the impeachment process.
In court papers, Ramaphosa argued the panel relied on hearsay, misunderstood its mandate and used questionable evidence to reach damaging conclusions.
"Save for the limited evidence I introduced in my response, there was no evidence before the panel," the president said in the application.
He also suggested the panel may have obtained a confidential Namibian police report and audio recording through improper means.
The Western Cape High Court is expected to hear the review application, which could have implications for the parliamentary process. ■