Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan has vehemently denied allegations that he infiltrated the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) or any other state organs.
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, at a media briefing last year, accused O’Sullivan of exerting undue power and control over Ipid.
Testifying before parliament’s ad hoc committee on Wednesday, O’Sullivan said this was a “blatant lie”.
“I did not infiltrate Ipid or any organs of state,” O’Sullivan said. “I hereby unequivocally deny these false, defamatory and criminally malicious allegations. The truth is a lot easier to understand and far more rational.”
O’Sullivan sought to clarify the timeline of his involvement with Ipid. He said his last formal complaint with Ipid was lodged in 2016 against then-acting national police commissioner Lt-Gen Khomotso Phahlane, adding he has not interacted with anyone at Ipid since 2018.
O’Sullivan said when he initially opened the docket against Phahlane, Ipid refused to investigate for 10 months. It was only when former Ipid head Robert McBride was reinstated that the case saw movement.
“I immediately told [McBride] I had opened the case and nothing had been done,” O’Sullivan said. “Within three months, we brought Ipid up to speed.”
When asked by evidence leader Norman Arendse if he had ever been directly involved in investigations against Phahlane, O’Sullivan responded with a firm “no”.
However, he admitted to supporting McBride during his suspension.
“I contributed more than R200,000 of my own money toward his legal fees, realising that if he was reinstated, the sand would be removed from the gearbox of justice,” O’Sullivan told the committee.
He said McBride had asked him to meet with the task team investigating Phahlane. During the meetings, O’Sullivan pointed out where evidence could be found, including helping investigators identify the contractor who built Phahlane’s house, allegedly paid for with bags of cash taken from the boot of a state vehicle.
Phahlane previously accused O’Sullivan and McBride of co-ordinating a plot to oust him, claiming they used “falsehoods and fabrications” to process “endless and malicious” allegations against him and his family.
When asked to respond to Phahlane’s claims, O’Sullivan dismissed them as a “false narrative”.
O’Sullivan launched a scathing attack on Mkhwanazi, accusing him of “peddling half-truths and whole lies” during his July 6 media briefing regarding the alleged infiltration of the criminal justice system by syndicates.
According to O’Sullivan, the source of systemic corruption lies within the crime intelligence secret service account, commonly known as the “slush fund”.
He argued the committee must investigate the account to understand Mkhwanazi’s true motives.
“Mkhwanazi went out of his way to play down the role of crime intelligence and its ‘piggy bank’, the slush fund.
“If the ad hoc committee digs into the malfeasance within crime intelligence, they will uncover a ‘third force’. This force works secretly to divert attention from their own crimes by producing fake documents, fabricated charges and false social media allegations. Their reach even extends into the National Assembly.”
O’Sullivan alleged there is a culture of nepotism and theft, alleging many “undercover agents” are family members of senior police officials receiving regular salaries for doing nothing. Properties rented as “safe houses” are owned by police officials who use slush fund money to pay off their mortgages and cash is regularly stolen and covered up under the guise of “national security”, he said.
He said the fund has not seen a clean audit in 20 years.
O’Sullivan reminded the committee that he was the original investigator who handed over evidence against former crime intelligence boss Lt-Gen Richard Mdluli and former CFO Maj-Gen Solly Lazarus regarding the looting of funds.
Mkhwanazi was acting national police commissioner from October 2011 to June 2012, before Riah Phiyega’s appointment. During this time, O’Sullivan said he appointed current national commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola as the acting head of crime intelligence.
“In 2012, when Masemola was acting crime intelligence head, he discovered the slush fund was underspent by some R40m due to Mdluli’s suspension,” O’Sullivan alleged. “He wasted no time in using the unspent monies.”
O’Sullivan told MPs Mkhwanazi lacks a valid security clearance, asserting his clearance expired in 2018.
While Mkhwanazi previously alleged the political killings task team (PKTT) was disbanded by suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu to stall sensitive probes, O’Sullivan presented a different narrative.
He accused Mkhwanazi of remaining “totally silent” about rampant criminal activity within the task team itself.
O’Sullivan claimed to have received anonymous sworn statements from four members of the PKTT, dated between August and October 2024, in which they admitted to receiving “gratification” from an accused person.
“To date, not one of these corrupt officials has been suspended, let alone arrested or criminally charged,” O’Sullivan said.
He called on Mkhwanazi to explain to MPs why the officials are still on the job and why no action has been taken against them.
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