By Moshoeshoe Monare
While the African National Congress's national executive committee has agreed to probe the contentious hoax emails, police are preparing for a swoop in the next 10 days on suspects, which could include prominent ruling-party officials.
Low-key search and seizure operations to raid and nab those whose names were mentioned by Inspector-General Zolile Ngcakani in his report are imminent. The report blamed axed former spy chief Billy Masetlha for fabrication of emails, placing people under unlawful surveillance and illegal interceptions.
Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi on Sunday refused to confirm or deny whether ANC Secretary-General Kgalema Motlanthe - one of the first people to possess the emails and circulate them at a national executive committee (NEC) meeting last year - would face arrest.
Continues Below ↓
Independent Newspapers has learnt that Motlanthe's house could be raided, but he might not be arrested. He said on Sunday: "Let it happen first before I comment."
A police source said Selebi had initially investigated the emails at the behest of Motlanthe to the extent of following a lead to a museum in London, an exercise which turned out "to be a useless goose-chase".
The emails - which purported to be communications between senior ANC and government officials sympathetic to President Thabo Mbeki about a plot to marginalise former deputy president Jacob Zuma - were allegedly inserted by Masetlha during an intelligence project to monitor the political terrain.
Another police source said on Sunday that Masetlha could be charged with fraud and contravening interception laws, while businessman Muzi Kunene could face similar charges. Both men were not available for comment.
Ironically, Masetlha and Selebi once clashed outside ANC headquarters last year when Motlanthe's office caught fire, quarrelling about who should enter the gutted office.
Continues...
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
