There was definite political interference in the Vrede dairy farm project, public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane said on Monday.
And, she said, her office had referred its latest report into the controversial Free State farming project to the National Prosecuting Authority's investigative directorate as part of the evidence in the ongoing investigation.
In the Vrede case, the public protector was tasked with investigating whether there was any political interference in the project, which was aimed at assisting emerging farmers. If there was, she was then tasked with probing whether this amounted to maladministration and improper conduct in terms of section 6 of the Public Protector Act.
Mkhwebane said the evidence she considered to arrive at the conclusion confirmed the presence of people linked to the Gupta family and to politicians. It showed how the project was conceptualised and implemented.