PRETORIA - A former prosecutor from the Priority Crimes Litigation Unit, Chris MacAdam, retracted his statement made earlier in the day on Tuesday that suspended deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Nomgcobo Jiba had stripped him of his duties with no explanation.
"I apologise if I created [the] impression that I was removed by Advocate Jiba. All I have said is exactly what was conveyed to me by Advocate Johnson," he said, while testifying in an inquiry, headed by former Constitutional Court Justice Yvonne Mokgoro, into the fitness of Jiba and advocate Lawrence Mrwebi to hold office.
MacAdam changed his tune during cross examination by Advocate Thabani Masuku, who is representing Jiba.
Masuku asked MacAdam to read into the record a letter from former National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Shaun Abrahams, to Minister of Justice Michael Masuthu, where he indicates foreign bribery cases are handled by the Special Commercial Crimes Unit.
The memo also said MacAdam had been assigned as a dedicated prosecutor for the cases.
Earlier, MacAdam had told the inquiry that Jiba had allegedly stripped him off his duties with no explanation and he later learned from Abrahams that the directive was not from him.
"After being told I was still the foreign bribery prosecutor, I tried to get back my files which I submitted to Brigadier Moodley," MacAdam explained.
He said he never received the files and was told that Mwrebi had instructed that the cases should be distributed to various officers in the SCCU and not to be handed to him.
"I tried to follow up but did not get a reply," he said.
He said in the four of the six cases, there was no movement and no prosecutors were assigned to the cases.
The hearing continues on Wednesday.