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Pikoli Gets Ginwala Probe Report |
| Publication |
Cape Argus |
| Date | 2008-11-17 |
| Reporter | Ella Smook |
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Web Link |
Suspended National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli has
finally received the Ginwala Commission report from President Kgalema Motlanthe.
"The report was meant for the president. I have been asking for the report, and
I got it on Wednesday," he told the Cape Argus on Sunday.
This comes after widespread calls for the report to be made public. It
reportedly vindicates Pikoli.
The prosecutions boss, who sounded in high spirits during Sunday's interview,
nevertheless declined to comment on the findings or what they could mean for his
future, saying that he had agreed to keep the contents confidential.
"It is for the president to make pronouncements," he said.
During his presidency Thabo Mbeki ordered a commission of inquiry under former
Assembly Speaker Frene Ginwala, following Pikoli's suspension in September 2007.
Ginwala was mandated to investigate whether Pikoli was "fit and proper" for
office after an alleged breakdown in relations between him and the then minister
of justice, Brigitte Mabandla.
But many, including Pikoli himself, believed that this and other cited reasons
for his suspension were red herrings to detract from the real reason - his
decision to arrest Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi for his alleged involvement
with organised crime figures in southern Africa.
Pikoli told the Ginwala inquiry that he had little doubt about the reason for
his suspension. Asked whether he would return to his position if asked to do so,
he replied: "If so required by the president, I will go back. (But) even then I
can't go back and pretend nothing happened."
He would have to "make an assessment" before making up his mind whether to
resume his post if asked, he said.
Asked whether he thought his decision to charge ANC president Jacob Zuma with
fraud could stand in the way of his being reinstated, he would only say that
his position "has not changed".
"I took the decision to charge Mr Zuma on the basis of the court judgment that
convicted Mr Schabir Shaik. I had to make a decision and also had to consult
with the team involved in the Zuma investigation.
"Following their recommendations, I made the decision to charge. My position has
not changed." *1
Last week the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) called
on Motlanthe to make public the Ginwala report.
The institute said it had written to the president asking him to do so.
"Only by allowing the public to interact directly with the report will public
confidence in the inquiry be maintained," the FXI said.
Failure to release the report "would constitute a gross infringement of the
public's rights and a total disregard of the state's obligation to respect,
protect and promote the rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights", the FXI said.
With acknowledgements to Ella Smook and Cape Argus.