The late former national police commissioner Jackie Selebi knew nothing about policing but knew plenty about corruption.
This is according to certified fraud examiner Paul O’Sullivan during his testimony at the ad hoc committee yesterday, where he said the SAPS was “captured” by the criminal underworld during Selebi’s tenure.
Parliament’s ad hoc committee is investigating allegations of corruption within the criminal justice system, originally brought forward by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
In his testimony, O’Sullivan detailed his extensive history with law enforcement, including his years as a police reservist from 1990 to 2002, where he completed detective training.
In 2001, he was appointed group executive of aviation security at the Airports Company SA (Acsa). This role granted him statutory rights to amend rules to bolster security. Additionally, he served as the vice-chairperson of the national aviation security committee (NASC) between 1991 and 1992.
Detailing claims of SAPS capture under Selebi, O’Sullivan said the late top cop leveraged his dual roles as national police commissioner and a member of the ANC national executive committee (NEC) to influence amendments to the National Key Points Act.
According to O’Sullivan, these changes were designed to ensure that security at national key points fell under direct police control.
He further alleged that Selebi lobbied the national intelligence coordinating committee (Nicoc) to declare O’Sullivan’s attendance at NASC illegal unless he obtained “top secret” security clearance.
“Selebi knew I could not achieve that level of clearance, as I had previously worked for the British government and held multiple passports,” O’Sullivan said.
“This led to the termination of my role at ACSA in April 2003.”
O’Sullivan said that Selebi also terminated his role as a police reservist in an effort to silence him.
Despite his removal from SAPS and ACSA, O’Sullivan continued to interact with police officials. During this time, he uncovered an allegedly corrupt relationship between Selebi and Glenn Agliotti — a man O’Sullivan had previously arrested in 2001 for smuggling counterfeit clothing.
According to O’Sullivan, the Agliotti case was removed from the airport police and transferred to the SAPS head office.
“I soon connected the dots and investigated,” O’Sullivan testified.
“The investigation revealed that the charges against Agliotti had been suddenly dropped as a result of Selebi’s corrupt intervention.”
O’Sullivan said this discovery prompted him to launch a private investigation into Selebi’s activities.
“Selebi knew nothing about policing but knew plenty about corruption.”
He cited Selebi’s “unlawful and unsuitable senior appointments”, alleging that the former commissioner promoted corrupt officials who should have been prosecuted or removed from the force.
O’Sullivan highlighted Selebi’s relationship with former president Thabo Mbeki, alleging that Mbeki attempted to shield Selebi in exchange for political support during the 2007 Polokwane elective conference. He further claimed that Mbeki sought Selebi’s help to arrest and charge Jacob Zuma on corruption counts prior to Zuma’s presidency.
In 2008, Selebi was eventually charged with corruption and defeating the ends of justice for taking bribes from Agliotti in exchange for protection and confidential information. He was convicted in 2010 and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He died in 2015.
“The damage done by Selebi cannot be underestimated, as the effects are still felt today,” O’Sullivan said.
O’Sullivan told the committee that he conducted a “clean-up exercise” within the criminal justice system after Selebi’s downfall. By 2016, he had opened cases against several senior police officials, prosecutors, and board directors of state-owned companies.
He said that his investigations touched on high-profile figures, including Jacob Zuma, the late Dudu Myeni, former acting national police commissioner Lt-Gen Khomotso Phahlane and other SAPS senior officials.
O’Sullivan then detailed the personal toll of his work, citing unlawful raids on his offices and an instance where he was allegedly kidnapped by corrupt police officials.
O’Sullivan is expected to respond to specific allegations levelled against him by Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi when the hearing continues. − TimesLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.