Chief justice Raymond Zondo's investigation into the notorious SMS sent to a legal counsel communicating a judgment of a Constitutional Court matter before it was announced publicly will be completed next week.
The office of the chief justice said on Thursday that Zondo is aware of public protector Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s closed investigation with regards to the SMS saga.
Her investigation stemmed from an SMS that legal analyst Ismail Abramjee sent to counsel for the speaker of parliament in April on Mkhwebane's court application to halt parliament’s impeachment proceedings against her.
In the SMS, Abramjee said he had it on ''very good authority'' that the Constitutional Court will reject Mkhwebane’s then application to rescind the court’s earlier judgment on parliament’s impeachment rules and would be making its decision that coming week. The apex court went on to dismiss Mkhwebane’s application.
In a report she released this week, Mkhwebane said there is a possibility that some judges on the ConCourt could have leaked the information about her matter with parliament to Abramjee.
Zondo said he is aware of the cellphone records Mkhwebane obtained relating to numbers linked to Abramjee and justices Jody Kollapen and Dunstan Mlambo.
He said he is also aware that the public protector has sent information found from her investigation to the Hawks and the Judicial Service Commission.
''The chief justice wishes to indicate that the investigation that he initiated regarding Mr. Abramjee’s SMS is close to completion. It is contemplated that it will be completed by the end of next week or in a few days thereafter. The outcome will be made public,’’ said Zondo.
Zondo said days after Abramjee’s SMS saga gained traction, Kollapen informed the chief justice and other justices of the Constitutional Court that he had known Abramjee for many years and they live in the same area.
''He also informed the chief justice and other justices of the Constitutional Court that he and Abramjee are members of the Pretoria Legacy Foundation and that he and Abramjee do interact with each other, including by calling each other. He also pointed out that Abramjee also attended a function sometime in March this year which was organised by the Pretoria Legacy in his [Kollapen]’s honour.”
Zondo said both Kollapen and Mlambo said they never disclosed any confidential information concerning any case at the Constitutional Court to Abramjee.
''Justice Mlambo informed the chief justice and other justices of the Constitutional Court that he, too, attended the function that was organised in honour of justice Kollapen which Abramjee also attended. He said that he was meeting Abramjee for the first time in that function and has never met him thereafter,'' said Zondo.
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