World famous South African actress, Moitheri Pheto, popularly known as Terry Pheto, has denied any wrong doing after she was allegedly linked to fraud relating to funding by the National Lotteries Commission (NLC).
The Special Investigating Unit (SUI) had, on Friday, obtained a preservation order from the High Court of South Africa to freeze Pheto’s assets estimated at R25 million while a probe into financial mismanagement and corruption at the NLC continues.
In a report by the SUI, Pheto, was among those implicated and who had been “prohibited from selling, disposing of, leasing, transferring, donating, or dealing in any manner whatsoever with respect to the immovable and movable properties”.
The SIU said nine luxury properties in Pretoria, Centurion, Hartbeespoort and Johannesburg, a BMW 420i and two ocean basket franchises in the East Rand with a combined value of approximately R25 million had been seized from the internationally renowned actress.
But in a response to the allegations, however, Pheto took to social media to deny the allegations, saying she has never been involved in any illegal scheme a the lotteries commission.
“I am dismayed to discover I am the subject of a SIU probe into allegations of fraud relating to funding by the National Lotteries Commission,” she said.
“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 had no sight of this order. I hold the law in high regard and will co-operate fully with this investigation in an open and transparent manner.
“This is a difficult time for me. I would like to thank everyone for their unwavering messages of support,” Pheto, who was a lead actress in an Oscar-winning feature film, Tsotsi, wrote.