Revealed: The Amount That Led to Rulani Mokwena’s Arrest as He is Handed Suspended Prison Sentence

Football coach Rulani Mokwena has received a two-month suspended prison sentence from Algerian authorities after being found guilty of possessing undeclared foreign currency.

According to Algerian media reports, Mokwena was detained at Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers over the weekend with €14,200 (R274,000 or Ksh2,110,971) in cash. The funds were subsequently confiscated, and he was also issued a fine of 50,000 Algerian dinars, which is just under R6,500 (Ksh504,010)

The South African embassy confirmed it was aware of his detention. Mokwena, who was managing MC Alger before recently accepting a position with Al Ittihad in Libya, was reportedly unaware of Algeria's strict currency declaration laws.

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Finance lawyer Tebogo Malatji, speaking before the sentence was confirmed, explained the standard procedures for such situations. "Every country requires you to declare the purpose of possessing funds because they control the movement of currency between countries," he stated to Times Live.

Malatji elaborated on the legal process, noting that authorities detain individuals with undeclared cash to investigate its origin.

"Currency is considered part of capital assets," he said. "If you have landed and you haven’t declared currency, then authorities will detain you so that they can interrogate the source of the funds."

He added that potential consequences include penalties or fines if the legitimacy of the funds cannot be proven. "You will be detained for as long as they complete that initial investigation and decide to say you leave with the funds, or do you leave them behind?"

Mokwena, a former coach for South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns and Morocco’s Wydad Athletic Club, is now expected to join Libyan giants Al Ittihad, where he will reunite with his former player, Thembinkosi Lorch.