Johannesburg – Senior police management blocked a planned raid on charities associated with former president Nelson Mandela, the Mail & Guardian reported on Friday.

High level police officials were reportedly worried that a raid on the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, and the Nelson Mandela trust would cause embarrassment.

After this, a letter from police unit the Hawks was sent, including to some Mandela relatives, demanding financial statements.

Chief executive of the children’s fund Sibongile Mkhabela’s spokesperson Oupa Ngwenya confirmed a letter was received.

“The account the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund has with Nedbank is public knowledge and has been accounted in the financial statement for the year ended 31 March 2013 and is included as… [a note in] the annual report.”

Ngwenya and Danielle Melville, spokesperson for the foundation’s chief executive, said the letters had been passed to Mandela’s lawyer Bally Chuene.

The letters reportedly related to charges of fraud, forgery and uttering laid against Mandela’s former attorney Ismail Ayob.

In July, a court application for the removal of George Bizos, Tokyo Sexwale, and Chuene as directors of Harmonieux Investment Holdings and Magnifique Investment Holdings was struck off the court roll.

The application was brought by Mandela’s daughters Makaziwe Mandela and Zenani Mandela-Dlamini.

Mandela is at home recovering after a lengthy stay in hospital.

SAPA