Johannesburg - The comfy chairs in Parliament are not exactly where you would picture forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan sitting.
But if Mamphela Ramphele’s AgangSA gets enough votes in the May 7 elections, that is where the corruption-buster is destined to be.
Although Agang did not publicly release its candidate list after handing it over to the Independent Electoral Commission on Wednesday, The Star can reveal that O’Sullivan’s name appears on it.
O’Sullivan has more than 37 years’ experience in law enforcement and is best known for helping to convict former police chief Jackie Selebi and for his investigation of alleged mob boss Radovan Krejcir.
O’Sullivan said he received a call from someone in the party who said they had a position for him and asked if they could set up a meeting. He said this was followed by a meeting with Ramphele on Sunday.
“I was impressed by their approach and their manifesto.”
He said the manifesto was “light and do-able”. It recognised there were problems and had solutions for them.
“It was something I could identify with. They want to put hope and dignity back in the country.”
He said he had always been an ANC supporter but felt the party had “gone off the path”.
“You can’t use infrastructure as a way to fix jobs if that infrastructure is accompanied by cronyism and corruption which lands up costing three times what it should have cost,” O’Sullivan said
He said if he did get to Parliament, his aim would not be to beat the ANC but rather to better the country in a constructive way. “It might give me a platform to fix the things that I have not been able to fix in my position now.”
He said he would continue to run his forensic investigation practice, if possible, through his investigators, but would deal only with pro bono cases.
Ramphele confirmed on Wednesday that O’Sullivan was among her party’s high-profile candidates for Parliament. She said this was part of Agang’s campaign to fight corruption.
The Star