South African coach Rulani Mokwena will serve no prison time after escaping with a suspended sentence in Algeria.
Mokwena has been in the news over the past 48 hours after he was reportedly arrested at the Houari Boumediene Airport on Sunday, when he was leaving the country after parting ways with MC Alger.
He was found guilty of possessing undeclared foreign currency of €14,200 (about R274,000), as reported by the Sowetan and Algerian media. Mokwena was also fined 50,000 Algerian dinars (R6,500), despite reports suggesting he was not aware of the rules governing currency possession in Algeria.
The SA embassy in Algeria had earlier confirmed to the Sowetan that Mokwena was receiving assistance following the arrest.
“The embassy in Algiers can confirm that it was notified of the arrest of Mr. Rulani Mokwena (on Sunday), who is alleged to have violated Algeria’s foreign currency regulation(s). The mission is in touch with Mr. Mokwena and is providing consular assistance to him.”
Late Monday, Clayson Monyela, who is the head of public diplomacy at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in South Africa, tweeted from his official X account that Mokwena had been cleared to leave Algeria.
Mokwena or his management team has yet to comment. He is expected to join Libyan club Al Ittihad after agreeing to a two-year deal.
He served MC Alger for eight months, before receiving the offer from Al Ittihad, who will pay him R1.4 million per month, as per reports.
