STATEMENT

This week I was notified by the Hawks that the Senior Public Prosecutor has considered the evidence regarding the case of bribery made against me in relation to bogus allegations by a Mr Anthony Faul & the decision was made not to institute a prosecution against me.

In early February this year, DA federal executive chairperson James Selfe confirmed that the party had approached the police with an affidavit they had received from businessman Faul.

I rejected these ludicrous allegations from the onset when they appeared out of thin air in February this year. This was at the height of the time when the DA was trying everything to remove me at all costs by throwing all sorts of allegations at me.

To date I have not been found guilty of anything that I have been accused of. I have always said that the truth will always survive and that I am not afraid to subject myself to any due process to properly test the allegations against me, open to the public and the media.

Once again, their attempts to discredit me and ruin my hard earned integrity have amounted to nil.

The bribery allegation dated back to events more than five years ago related to Faul's negotiations with the City of Cape Town Safety and Security Disaster Risk Management department for fire retardant paint for informal settlements.

At the time when these allegations surfaced, I stated that this was part of the grand plot to remove me.

Regardless of this, I committed to cooperating openly and transparently with the SAPS which is what I have been doing for months. The staff in my office also cooperated with the Hawks fully when they were approached for interviews and statements.

I’m relieved that justice has prevailed and that I have once again been vindicated. It is proof of the vicious witch hunt which unfolded over the past year to get rid of me.

I’ve taken an enormous amount of abuse and all the allegations which were spread far and wide by the DA has caused me great reputational harm.

The allegations made by Faul are patently false were a vicious attack on my good name and reputation. As such, they were defamatory in the extreme and I have instructed my lawyers to pursue a defamation case against him for R1 million.

Statement issued by Patricia de Lille via Twitter, 7 October 2018