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Suspended national police commissioner Bheki Cele. Photo: Antoine de Ras.

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Suspended police chief Bheki Cele identified two buildings for contentious lease contracts, an inquiry into his conduct heard on Monday.

Evidence leader Viwe Notshe, SC, said in Pretoria that information would be submitted showing Cele pointed out the Middestad building in Pretoria and the Transnet building in Durban.

“We intend to bring evidence that the national commissioner identified these two buildings,” Notshe told the board of inquiry.

“Evidence from General Hlela will prove that Cele is the one who identified the building. We will also prove that he did not do so openly.”

Lieutenant-General Hamilton Hlela is former police procurement boss and deputy national police commissioner. He resigned in August 2010.

Notshe said Cele had attempted to distance himself from the identification of the two premises during Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's investigations.

“He attempted at all costs to distance himself...The national commissioner sought to shift all the blame to Hlela.”

Notshe said evidence would be submitted that Cele contravened provisions of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), Government Immovable Assets Management Act, and Treasury regulations, among other guidelines.

“The findings of the Public Protector apply to the national commissioner because he is the accounting officer of the SA Police Service.

“Evidence will show that the national commissioner, as the accounting officer, directly contravened the provisions of section 39 the PFMA and also failed to prevent the violations.”

It is alleged that Cele “caused the (police's) procurement process to be manipulated by a property owner, managers, suppliers or service providers in collusion with members of the SAPS”.

Earlier, board chairman, Judge Jack Moloi laid the ground rules and explained the crux of the inquiry. He indicated the inquiry was not about to re-investigate what the Public Protector had already investigated. The board would seek to establish whether Cele acted corruptly or dishonestly, or with an undeclared conflict of interest in relation to the two police leases. It would examine his fitness to hold office and capacity to efficiently execute his duties, he said.

“The board was also not sitting as a court of law to review the correctness and accuracy of the Public Protector's report,” said Moloi.

That report found Cele's actions pertaining to two leases for new police headquarters in Pretoria and Durban, valued at R1.6bn, were “improper and unlawful”. These findings would form part of the evidence at the inquiry.

The board was appointed by President Jacob Zuma in October last year to evaluate allegations against the police chief. In February the board invited members of the public to disclose information that could help determine whether Cele was fit to hold office.

The outspoken police chief, who was present at the inquiry on Monday, was suspended with full salary, allowances, privileges and benefits, pending the outcome of the probe.

The previous national police commissioner, Jackie Selebi, was handed a 15-year jail sentence by the High Court in Johannesburg in 2010 for corruption following a lengthy trial which began in 2008. – Sapa