John Block was granted R50 000 bail in Kimberley.
Supplied/NPA
- John Block was granted bail in a tender fraud case.
- Block is currently serving 15 years in prison for corruption and money laundering.
- The State didn’t oppose his latest bail application.
Incarcerated former ANC Northern Cape leader John Block was granted R50 000 bail in a R51-million tender fraud case.
The State did not oppose his bail application, despite Block being in jail.
The former ANC provincial chairperson was granted bail in the Kimberley District Court on Tuesday.
The matter relates to a 2003 case, where Babereki Consulting Engineers CC was fraudulently awarded a tender for a mental health hospital construction project.
READ | Jailed ex-Northern Cape ANC chair John Block faces R51m tender fraud charges
The spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, Mojalefa Senokoatsane, said Block, as the then political head, together with the former head of the department, Patience Mercia Mokhali, appointed Babereki, whose director was Tshegolekae Motaung, even though the company did not meet the requirements.
Senokoatsane said:
The actual amount involved is approximately R51 million. Block has been granted bail of R50 000 in this Schedule 5 matter. In the interest of justice, the State did not oppose bail.
Block is an inmate at the Upington Correctional Services, serving a 15-year sentence for corruption.
Senokoatsane said Block would attend his next appearance virtually from prison on 10 August.
“He is accused number two in the matter. He will virtually join his co-accused, Mokhali and Motaung, in the Kimberley District Court,” said Senokoatsane.
Former Northern Cape Public Works MEC & ANC heavyweight, John Block was granted R50 000 bail in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court. The matter relates to the awarding of a multi-million-rand tender for the construction of the Kimberley Hospital in 2003. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/84mRumChNj
— Reginald (@ReggieReporter) August 1, 2023
The Noordkaap Bulletin reported that Block was pushing to be released on parole because he apparently qualified for a presidential pardon.
Block reportedly was a well-behaved inmate, who tutored his peers in prison and assisted in the donation of soccer kits and equipment for inmates.
He claimed he had served the minimum required time for parole eligibility.
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