Audio recordings will form part of the evidence against a senior South African National Defence Force (SANDF) intelligence officer accused of bribing a police officer in an attempt to stop a case of intimidation he was being investigated for.
This was stated by state prosecutor Adv Tholoana Sekhonyana when she applied for a postponement at the Pretoria magistrate’s court yesterday in the corruption case against Gen Johannes Prince Mkhabela, the director of special acquisitions for the SANDF.
Sekhonyana asked for the postponement to allow the investigating officer time to download the audio recordings that she said would prove the bribery allegations against Mkhabela.
“The accused was arrested on Friday afternoon... by [the] Madlanga [commission] task team and his profile has not yet been obtained,” she said.
According to the charge sheet, Mkhabela offered to pay a police officer R1.5m to squash a case of intimidation registered against him at the Pretoria Central police.
The National Prosecuting Authority’s Lumka Mahanjana said on Friday that, during a meeting between Mkhabela and the officer investigating the intimidation case, Mkhabela paid the officer R50,000 as a deposit and promised to settle the outstanding amount in September.
On Monday, the corruption charge had to be stood down as the charge sheet stated that the money involved was R50,000, which was later scratched out and replaced with R1.5m.
When the hearing resumed, Sekhonyana confirmed that the money involved was R1.5m and that it was a schedule five offence.
However, Mkhabela’s lawyer, who only gave his name as Mulaudzi, challenged the R1.5m figure.
“If the state were to be asked now if they have evidence of the R50,000, I respectfully believe they will say yes, but if they were asked if they have evidence regarding the R1.5m, I believe respectfully they will say no at this stage,” he said, adding that the state deliberately delayed the bail proceedings.
Mulaudzi told the court that his submissions were not an admission of guilt.
The matter has been postponed to Friday for a formal bail application.
Sowetan
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