Johannesburg - A docket alleging serious offences against the state was opened against forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan a week after he was arrested on an immigration charge.
This was revealed in a series of letters O’Sullivan’s attorneys sent to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) advocate Sello Maema and Gauteng head of the Hawks, Major-General Prince Mokotedi, indicating they believe O’Sullivan’s arrest was unlawful.
In the letters, attorney Darryl Furman indicates the complainant in the case against O’Sullivan was now retired head of detectives Lieutenant-General Vinesh Moonoo, the same officer O’Sullivan publicly stated on numerous occasions he was investigating for corruption.
But according to Moonoo, he did not open any case against O’Sullivan earlier this month. “He is possessed with me,” Moonoo said of O’Sullivan. “I opened a case against him a while back with the inspector-general of intelligence.”
He said this was because O’Sullivan was in possession of recordings of some of his phone calls.
Furman said in the letter the case they believe Moonoo is the complainant in was opened at Pretoria Central police station a week after O’Sullivan was arrested.
Furman states that at that time O’Sullivan had not been interrogated on the charges of breaking immigration legislation, but on more serious charges.
“We therefore record that what has been taking place since April 1, 2016 clearly amounts to nothing more than a well-orchestrated campaign of unlawful arrest, detention, torture, interrogation, defamation and vilification of our client,” Furman said.
O’Sullivan was told he was being investigated for five charges: corruption, defeating the ends of justice, contravention of the Protection of Information Act, contravention of Rica (Regulation of Interception of Communications Act), and espionage.
Furman said there were no further details given by the Hawks on any of these alleged crimes.
“Needless to say, our client vehemently denies these absurdly false allegations,” he said.
The attorney said the allegations, coupled with their client’s “unlawful arrest, detention and torture”, were intended to punish O’Sullivan and exact revenge.
He said it was common cause that O’Sullivan had opened “a plethora of serious criminal cases against Moonoo and other senior police officials since 2012”.
The letter also shares some of the questions the police put to O’Sullivan during his interrogation.
They asked him if intelligence officers had supplied him with information; if he knew Lieutenant Boitumelo Ramahlaha, who opened a case of defeating the ends of justice against head of the Hawks Lieutenant-General Berning Ntlemeza; and if he had paid any police officer to assist him in investigations.
Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said the Hawks had decided with O’Sullivan and his lawyers not to engage with the media.
“We are respectfully sticking to that agreement. We do not investigate through the media,” he said.