Additional charges against me are nonsense - Breytenbach

Pretoria - DA MP Glynnis Breytenbach says that two additional charges levelled against her by the NPA are nonsense.

"I still believe it's politically motivated and the two additional charges are in my view nonsense," she said on Wednesday .

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed on Wednesday that two additional charges of fraud and perjury had been added to the initial charge sheet.

This is despite having denied any knowledge of the charges in February.

At the time, the Hawks and the NPA claimed to know nothing about a report that Breytenbach could be charged with corruption because of tender interference.

"There is no docket," Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said in February.

NPA spokesperson Luvuyo Mfaku told News24 at the time: "We bear no knowledge of that."

On Wednesday however, Mfaku confirmed the charges.

"Additional charges of fraud and perjury have been added. She has been given an indictment and everything related to the matter," said Mfaku.

Breytenbach appeared briefly in court on Wednesday, where the matter was postponed to April 8.

The other charges she faces are those of obstruction and defeating the ends of justice.

The NPA claimed Breytenbach shredded relevant papers and wiped clean her laptop while she was still the head of the organisation's specialised commercial crimes unit.

The NPA added that her lawyer, Gerhard Wagenaar, had refused to hand over her laptop, which was believed to contain evidence related to a case.

This article first appeared on News24 – see here.