NPA to withdraw charges against Jiba

Fraud and perjury charges against the NPA's DDPP Nomgcobo Jiba have been withdrawn in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria. File picture: Thobile Mathonsi

Fraud and perjury charges against the NPA's DDPP Nomgcobo Jiba have been withdrawn in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria. File picture: Thobile Mathonsi

Published Aug 18, 2015

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Pretoria - National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams announced on Tuesday that a decision was taken to discontinue the prosecution of Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Nomgcobo Jiba.

Abrahams told reporters at a briefing at the National Prosecuting Authority in Pretoria that the fraud and perjury charges against Jiba would be withdrawn in court on Wednesday.

Jiba was set to go on trial on Wednesday on charges which related to her decision to prosecute Johan Booysen, the head of the Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal, on racketeering charges.

In February last year, Durban High Court Judge Trevor Gorven threw out the charges against Booysen, who was suspended at the time.

The judge went on to describe Jiba’s decision to charge Booysen as “arbitrary, [and] offend the principle of legality and, therefore, the rule of law and were unconstitutional”.

In his judgement, Gorven agreed with Booysen’s assertion that Jiba had lied about having certain statements before her when she decided to prosecute, and could therefore not have used them to make her decision.

Booysen had been accused of running a criminal enterprise consisting of members of the former Cato Manor Organised Crime Unit that he headed up.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Abrahams was planning to drop charges against Jiba.

The Democratic Alliance then threatened to haul Abrahams before Parliament’s portfolio committee on justice and correctional services.

ANA

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