Johannesburg - Suspended Hawks boss Anwa Dramat in a letter to Police Minister Nathi Nhleko which was leaked to the Sunday Times offered to take early retirement on condition that his suspension was reversed.
An unnamed source told the publication that Dramat had refused to hand over Hawks files on matters such as Nkandla, a R60 million fraud case in KwaZulu-Natal and an investigation which involved Northern Cape ANC chairman John Block to National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega.
Phiyega had asked Dramat for the files earlier this month, it reported.
In the letter, Dramat said he had made powerful enemies by investigating influential people.
“I'm also aware that in the next two months there will be a drive to remove certain investigations that fell under my watch, relocate certain cases and that, unfortunately, certain sensitive investigations may even be closed down,” he was quoted as saying.
He added that his request to for certain case dockets “involving very influential persons” to be centralised under one investigative arm had caused resentment towards him, the newspaper reported.
Dramat reportedly gave Nhleko until January 5 to respond.
Dramat was suspended pending a probe into his alleged involvement in facilitating the illegal rendition of Zimbabweans in November 2010.
Nhleko took a decision to suspend Dramat on Tuesday, his spokesman Musa Zondi told the newspaper.
Zondi revealed that Dramat had been placed on a precautionary suspension for 60 days. After that period the ministry would decide whether he would be charged.
He had been informed by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) last year that it was investigating criminal charges against him relating to the allegations.
It was reported that numerous rendition survivors had stepped forward and accused Dramat of being involved in the apprehension and deportation of Zimbabwe's most wanted criminals.
Ipid spokesman Moses Dlamini said the allegations were investigated and Ipid handed over its report to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) earlier this year. It was still waiting for the NPA's findings.
Phiyega's spokesman Lt-Gen Solomon Makgale could not be immediately reached by Sapa on Saturday evening.
Sapa