‘Phiyega will comment at right time'

National police commissioner Riah Phiyega speaks at the release of the 2013/2014 annual crime statistics in Pretoria, Friday, 19 September 2014. Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA

National police commissioner Riah Phiyega speaks at the release of the 2013/2014 annual crime statistics in Pretoria, Friday, 19 September 2014. Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA

Published Sep 29, 2014

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Cape Town - National police commissioner Riah Phiyega will not immediately comment on an apparent ministerial probe into her conduct, her spokesman said on Monday.

“At the right time, the national commissioner will comment,” Lt-Gen Solomon Makgale said.

He was responding to a Sunday Independent report that President Jacob Zuma had ordered a ministerial probe into allegations against Phiyega.

The report claimed through unnamed sources that a committee would investigate, among others, allegations that she tipped off Western Cape police commissioner Arno Lamoer about an investigation against him by crime intelligence, and that she misled the public when she claimed she was not aware Lt-Gen Mondli Zuma faced criminal charges when she appointed him Gauteng police commissioner.

The newspaper reported that the police ministry was finalising terms of reference and securing legal advice.

In October last year, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) said it would investigate allegations that Phiyega had tipped off Lamoer.

When it completed its investigation, it referred the docket to National Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Mxolisi Nxasana.

Earlier this month, the National Prosecuting Authority said it would not pursue complaints of defeating the ends of justice against Phiyega.

At the time, spokesman Nathi Mncube said that after considering the statements and evidence in the docket the DPP declined to prosecute.

“It is considered that there are no reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution.”

According to The Witness newspaper on Monday, Phiyega faced fresh allegations of seizing phone recordings of Durban businessman Thoshan Panday.

Suspended KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Johan Booysen probed Panday's involvement in a R60 million police accommodation tender scam and his phone was tapped.

The Witness reported that Phiyega ordered the tapes be handed over and taken to Pretoria a few days before Booysen was exonerated in a police disciplinary hearing.

Sapa

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