Paul O’Sullivan grilled: ‘You like to investigate corruption — why didn’t you probe Phala Phala?’
Private forensic investigator and self-described whistleblower Paul O'Sullivan appearing before Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee probing allegations of corruption, interference, misconduct, and systemic failures within the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the broader criminal justice system.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan was on Wednesday questioned about his involvement — or lack thereof — in the Phala Phala controversy, where $580,000 (around R10 million) in foreign currency was stolen from couches at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Limpopo farm.
O’Sullivan has returned to Parliament for a second day of testimony before the ad hoc committee probing allegations of interference, corruption and misconduct within the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the broader law enforcement apparatus.
On Wednesday morning, he was led through aspects of his affidavits by Advocate Norman Arendse SC, the inquiry’s evidence leader.
“Questions are asked, given your appetite to investigate corruption at high levels, why have you not investigated Phala Phala? You have known about it, you have read about it, there has been lots of media attention given to that issue,” Arendse put it to O’Sullivan.
The Phala Phala matter erupted in 2022 after former State Security Agency director-general Arthur Fraser laid criminal complaints alleging that large sums of undeclared foreign currency were stolen from Ramaphosa’s farm in 2020 and that the theft was not properly reported to authorities.
The allegations triggered investigations by law enforcement agencies and a parliamentary process, with Ramaphosa consistently denying wrongdoing.
Responding to Arendse’s question, O’Sullivan said: “The first time I knew of Phala Phala was in June 2023 or 24 when an article surfaced in the media, written by Arthur Fraser. Arthur Fraser falsely alleged under oath that I had helped the president of South Africa (Cyril Ramaphosa) to track down the people that stole money from his couch. But I never even knew about the money being stolen from the couch until I read about it in the media.
“I subsequently managed to get from the journalist who wrote the story a copy of the affidavit, because Arthur Fraser, having made the affidavit, published it. When I got a copy of that affidavit, I then went and opened a case at Rosebank because he had disposed of the affidavit at Rosebank police station. I then went and opened a perjury case at Rosebank against Arthur Fraser,” said O’Sullivan.
“Once again, nothing has happened to that case.”
O’Sullivan has repeatedly denied any involvement in assisting Ramaphosa in relation to the theft at the farm and has maintained that he became aware of the matter only after it was reported in the media.
The ad hoc committee continues to examine allegations of political interference, misconduct and factional battles within law enforcement structures, with MPs expected to further test O’Sullivan’s role and past interventions in high-profile cases.
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