South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was cleared of wrongdoing in a preliminary corruption investigation, according to a Saturday statement from his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya.

Magwenya confirmed that Ramaphosa’s office received a preliminary report from South African Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka on Friday which clears Ramaphosa of any wrongdoing in relation to the theft of large amounts of cash from his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo during February 2020. According to Magwenya, “the President did not participate in any wrong doing, nor did he violate the oath of his office. Instead, the President was a victim of a crime that he duly reported to the relevant authorities.”

According to local media reports, the report has only been shared with implicated parties and has not yet been made public. While the report exonerates Ramaphosa, Gcaleka found that Major-General Wally Rhoode, former head of the PPS, and other members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) “acted improperly” in investigating the crime. The report notes that Rhoode failed to open a case docket, so no official investigation could be conducted. Furthermore, the evidence suggests that Rhoode assembled his own investigation team and carried out “an unofficial criminal investigation.” Overall, the investigation was inconsistent with the SAPS Act.

Ramaphosa’s scandal erupted in June and revolves around a robbery at his Phala Phala farm. Robbers found $4 million in cash hidden in furniture. Ramaphosa was accused of concealing the money from tax authorities and hiding the robbery from the police. However, the report found that the evidence does not support allegations that Ramaphosa failed to report the crime of housebreaking, nor does it support the allegation of abuse of power in utilising state resources by causing the Presidential Protection Unit (PPS) to be deployed to the farm to investigate the crime.

A police investigation into the matter is still ongoing. The final report may contain different recommendations.