Publication: The Star Issued: Date: 2008-12-08 Reporter: Sapa

Ginwala Report to be Made Public

 

Publication 

The Star
Date

2008-12-08

Reporter

 Sapa

Web Link

www.thestar.co.za



The report on whether suspended national prosecutions boss Vusi Pikoli is fit to hold office will be made public in Pretoria on Monday by President Kgalema Motlanthe.

It will be released at the Union Buildings at 11am, Motlanthe's spokesperson Thabo Masebe said in an advisory.

Former president Thabo Mbeki suspended Pikoli last September, citing a breakdown in relations between Pikoli and former justice minister Brigitte Mabandla.

Pikoli however said it was because his office planned to arrest National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi for corruption.

An inquiry was set up and chaired by former speaker of Parliament Frene Ginwala, on Mbeki's instructions.

Ginwala's terms of reference included whether Pikoli had acted with enough regard for internal security when his officials planned to execute the arrest warrant.

Other matters that arose during the inquiry were concerns over the security clearance of the people tasked with searching former deputy president Jacob Zuma's office during investigations against him, that he appeared to ignore a draft report alleging a coup to bring Zuma to power, and the way the prosecutions authority was entering into plea bargain arrangements.

Pikoli also had to defend the line of communication between himself and Mabandla during crucial investigations when he believed that, although he had kept her informed, constitutionally, he could work independently of her when deciding on prosecutions.

Mbeki was asked to resign by the ruling ANC in September, partly because of a Pietermaritzburg High Court judgment. Judge Chris Nicholson questioned what he considered an inappropriately close relationship between the president, justice ministers and national directors of public prosecution in the long-running investigating into allegations of corruption against Zuma.

Mabandla was among Cabinet ministers who resigned when Mbeki left office. - Sapa
 

Related Articles

With acknowledgements to Sapa and The Star.


One head that should roll under the New National Razor is that of Menzi Simelane, the director-general of justice.

This chacma baboon wrote a series of letters to both the German prosecuting authorities and the British investigation authorities regarding their letters requesting Mutual Legal Assistance.

Needless to say that both the spirit and the content of these letters were not particularly helpful to his counterparts and, at least in the case of the German request, were large responsible for the German prosecuting authority abandoning its investigation and prosecution of Thyssen, Ferrostaal, Thabo Mbeki and Chippy Shaik.

This was as good as in the bag.

A job well done on behalf of The Chief Baboon.