Actress Terry Pheto poses as she arrives for the gala screening of the film “A United Kingdom” on the opening night of the 60th British Film Institute (BFI) London Film Festival in London, October 5, 2016. Picture: Neil Hall/ Reuters
Johannesburg - The Bryanston house that award-winning actress Moitheri "Terry" Pheto built using funds linked to the siphoning of National Lottery Commission (NLC) grant funding will be auctioned on Thursday.
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) announced on Thursday morning that the auction follows a preservation order granted by the Pretoria High Court to the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) and the SIU on November 4, 2022, to freeze Pheto’s Bryanston home.
"The SIU investigations have found that the money used for the purchase of the land and construction of the home came from non-profit organisations that received NLC funding meant for the roll-out of a public campaign and culturally sensitive medical intervention projects aimed at achieving traditional circumcision practice," said SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago in a statement.
"After the preservation order was granted, Pheto’s legal representatives contacted the SIU and the AFU, indicating that they will not contest the preservation order granted by the High Court," he said.
After the news broke in November claiming she was involved in a multimillion-rand scheme relating to funding by the NLC, Pheto issued a statement denying having had any fraudulent involvement with the lotteries commission.
"I am dismayed to discover that I am the subject of a Special Investigation Unit probe into allegations of fraud relating to funding by the National Lotteries Commission. I deny any involvement in the alleged scheme that has been reported on. I also had no prior knowledge of an application to obtain a preservation order against me and have no sight of this order," she said.
She further thanked people who had supported her and said she would cooperate fully, openly, and transparently with the investigation.
The SIU said that the auctioning is a continuation of the implementation of the SIU investigation outcomes and consequence management to recover assets and financial losses suffered by State institutions and/or to prevent further losses.
The Star