Johannesburg - In January last year, suspended Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) head Robert McBride handed a letter to the police minister Nathi Nhleko requesting that President Jacob Zuma should consider placing the now suspended national police commissioner, general Riah Phiyega, on precautionary suspension for failing to take action against KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni, Colonel Navin Madhoe and Captain Aswin Narainpershad.
McBride alleged in his letter that all these officers were implicated in corruption.
The letter dated January 13 last year, said Ngobeni had been told of financial irregularities within the provincial police, totalling R60.5m, but she failed to order an investigation - and stopped investigations that had already begun into the matter.
Ngobeni allegedly ordered that a Hawks investigation into the matter be stopped, on at least five occasions. McBride said in the Ipid report both Madhoe and Narainpershad had allegedly been involved in defrauding the police of R15m. Further fraud was prevented only by Booysen and his team.
A Pricewaterhouse Coopers money-trail analysis “conclusively linked” Ngobeni, Madhoe, Narainpershad and Panday and showed the three officers maintained a “corrupt relationship” with Panday.
McBride said Phiyega “interfered in the investigation of the alleged corruption by suspending Booysen, who is a key witness in the corruption and bribery cases,” and “instead of disciplining Ngobeni for failure to report and investigate allegations of corruption, she initiated disciplinary action against Booysen”.
McBride said Phiyega’s conduct amounted to racketeering: Instead of dealing with the allegations against Ngobeni, she associated herself with Ngobeni, enabling corruption to thrive.
Independent Media
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