Activists and Citizens Forum has called for the complete withdrawal of criminal charges against former acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane, following the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption’s (IDAC) decision to provisionally withdraw the case.
The organisation, through its spokesperson Dennis Bloem, said the provisional withdrawal of the charges was not enough and accused IDAC of prolonging the former police commissioner’s “pain and trauma”.
IDAC provisionally withdrew the R191 million corruption, fraud and theft case against Phahlane and his co-accused on Monday, pending a review of the matter. The case relates to a South African Police Service emergency warning equipment contract.
Bloem said the charges against Phahlane should be permanently withdrawn, arguing that the investigation had been ongoing since 2016.
“Activists and Citizens Forum believe that the concocted charges must completely be withdrawn and not provisionally withdrawn,” Bloem said.
The organisation also accused IDAC of having acted improperly in pursuing the case, claiming that the charges were destined to collapse.
Phahlane has previously denied allegations of wrongdoing and maintained that he was being targeted as part of a political campaign to prevent him from becoming the permanent national police commissioner. His earlier investigations by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) included allegations relating to corruption and contracts awarded to service providers.
Bloem further repeated allegations made by Cedrick Nkabinde, chief of staff to Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, before a parliamentary ad hoc committee that a group involving former IPID officials and private investigator Paul O’Sullivan had sought to remove Phahlane from his position.
Nkabinde has previously alleged that O’Sullivan exerted unlawful influence over IPID and that a task team had been established to prevent Phahlane from becoming national commissioner and ultimately position former IPID head Robert McBride for the post.
O’Sullivan has rejected those allegations, describing the claims that he sought to influence the process to install McBride as national commissioner as false.
The organisation said law enforcement agencies should investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute those responsible for what it described as the targeting of Phahlane and his family.
“We believe Commissioner Phahlane deserves justice,” Bloem said.
The latest development follows years of legal and investigative proceedings involving Phahlane. In 2017, charges were also brought against O’Sullivan and IPID investigators in connection with allegations arising from the investigation into Phahlane.
Activists and Citizens Forum said the latest withdrawal should mark the end of the matter rather than another extension of the investigation.
