Mdluli lays charges against Breytenbach

Glynnis Breytenbach. File photo: Phill Magakoe

Glynnis Breytenbach. File photo: Phill Magakoe

Published Dec 5, 2013

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Johannesburg - Suspended police crime intelligence head Richard Mdluli has laid criminal charges against Glynnis Breytenbach and two others, the police said on Thursday.

Mdluli has accused Breytenbach, prosecutor Gerrie Nel and Hawks investigating officer Kobus Roelofse of conspiring to kill him.

National police spokesman Solomon Makgale confirmed that charges had been laid and said police were investigating.

Breytenbach was suspended from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on April 30, 2012. She claimed that the then acting national director of public prosecutions Nomgcobo Jiba suspended her to stop her from prosecuting Mdluli on fraud and other charges.

In May, Breytenbach was found not guilty on 15 counts by a disciplinary hearing which sat at the NPA head office in Pretoria.

A core charge against the anti-graft prosecutor was failing to act impartially when investigating the Kumba Iron Ore/Sishen and Imperial Crown Trading mining rights issue, because of “improper relations” with Sishen's lawyer Mike Hellens.

Other charges included “surreptitiously leaking” NPA inside information to Beeld journalist Sonja Carstens, giving her official NPA laptop to her lawyer, and maligning the NPA in the media.

On Monday, the High Court in Pretoria ruled that Mdluli, the NPA and the police's specialised commercial crime unit may appeal against a ruling that charges must be reinstated against Mdluli.

Mdluli was suspended amid charges of fraud and corruption, and charges relating to the murder of his ex-lover's husband. An inquest cleared him of any involvement in the murder. The charges of fraud and corruption were also later withdrawn.

He was reinstated, but was again suspended in 2012 pending the court application to review the withdrawal of the criminal and disciplinary charges against him.

On September 23 this year the High Court in Pretoria ordered criminal and disciplinary charges be reinstated against Mdluli.

Sapa

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