The High Court in the Free State has granted Moroadi Cholota's application for a trial-within-a-trial in the high-profile asbestos corruption case involving former Free State Premier Ace Magashule.
Cholota intends to challenge the court’s jurisdiction and the legality of her extradition from the United States, where she had been residing before being brought back to South Africa in August last year.
She argues that the South African court lacks jurisdiction to prosecute her and claims her extradition was unlawful. In a startling claim, Cholota also alleges she was subjected to torture during the extradition process.
Cholota is standing trial alongside Magashule and several others, all accused of being involved in a corrupt scheme linked to a R255-million asbestos audit tender awarded during Magashule's tenure as premier.
The trial-within-a-trial will allow the court to examine the validity of her extradition and determine whether her rights were violated before proceeding with the main trial.