Forensic fraud examiner Paul O'Sullivan walked out of the Ad Hoc Committee during his evidence on Thursday last week.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
ANC MP Khusela Sangoni-Diko said she was very glad that former senior State Advocate Michael Mashuga provided his testimony before forensic analyst Paul O’Sullivan returns to the Parliament's Ad Hoc committee because his testimony stands in stark contrast to O’Sullivan’s.
Mashuga appeared before the committee regarding the notorious Kameeldrift rhino case that was referenced in the evidence by former IPID head Robert McBride, O’Sullivan, and former acting national commissioner Khomotso Phahlane.
Mashuga, who was the prosecutor in the case, has been authorised by National Director of Public Prosecutions Andy Mothibi to give evidence on the case that was withdrawn and not re-enrolled after it was struck off the roll nearly a decade ago.
The case dates back to the 2014 arrest of a rhino poaching syndicate that was allegedly involved in killing 22 rhinos and stealing 84 horns estimated at R22 million.
O’Sullivan is expected to make his third appearance before Parliament’s investigating allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi after he abruptly walked out of proceedings last Thursday.
Speaking on the sidelines, Sangoni-Diko said that she was very glad the Mashuga appeared before O’Sullivan’s third appearance before the committee, but also before the arrival of O' Sullivan's former PA, Sarah Jane Trent, on Thursday.
“Mashuga was the prosecutor responsible for the case that was opened against Mr O'Sullivan and Ms Sarah Jane Trent, a case which was curiously struck off the roll, (and) never re-enrolled, where there was an expectation to be re-enrolled. And we wanted to understand why.
“Now his evidence is very clear, and unfortunately, it stands in stark contrast to the evidence that has been given by both Mr McBride and Mr Paul O'Sullivan before this committee,” Sangoni-Diko said.
Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi met to hear from Advocate Motlatlhwa Mashuga, who was a state prosecutor in a case involving forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
“He breaks down the events to his understanding and really disputes claims that have been made. Like the fact that Ms Sarah Jane Trent was kidnapped. It was an arrest.
“I think everybody thought I was strange (when I brought that up) because I really thought it was two separate incidents, given how they were described in such markedly different ways,” Sangoni-Diko said.
“It gives us enough information, I think, to re-examine Mr O'Sullivan when he comes here based on the evidence that Mr Mashuga has provided.
“It also puts to bed the assertion that Ms Sarah Jane Trent's lawyers had written to us that we must not engage her based on the so-called illegally downloaded information.
“There's absolutely no evidence before us at this point that this information was illegally obtained, and her countercase, which the NPA declined to prosecute, obviously means that there were poor chances of success in that regard,” she said.
As for the demeanour expected from O’Sullivan, Sangoni-Diko said the whole ad hoc proceedings has brought lessons on both sides, “one of which is that we need to focus on getting to the truth”.
“It's unfortunate that Mr O'Sullivan's demeanour, and the manner in which he engages sometimes, well, on both (his and our) sides, has tended to raise tempers or emotions.
“That's not the important thing. We are now sitting almost with very strong evidence that points to him seeking or at least infiltrating IPID, intimidation, and I could even say, extortion of a former acting national commissioner.
“I have said this before, that the amount of influence that he wields over our law enforcement agencies is a cause for concern,” Sangoni-Diko said.
“And as the ANC, we still want to get to the bottom of how he accumulated such authority? To what extent has he used this influence and authority to go after innocent people, civilians, private citizens, as has been alleged by Advocate Mashuga, and indeed what do we need to do to stop this so that it doesn't recur.”