By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Parliament’s ad hoc committee probing corruption and political interference within criminal system has agreed to subpoena forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan testify in person.
The committee took the decision on Monday when it met to discuss its witness programme and other housekeeping matters.
O’Sullivan wrote to the committee, demanding to appear virtually citing safety as the main reason, saying he is currently in London.
He also listed more demands and refused to account to members of certain political parties.
MPs unanimously rejected his request for a virtual hearing and called for him to be summoned immediately.
Committee chairperson Soviet Lekganyane said the committee would now work on issuing a subpoena to force O’Sullivan to appear before adding him to the witness programme.
“O’Sullivan is not only requesting to appear virtually; he is insulting the parliament of the republic by calling it a ‘criminal parliament’,” he said.
He had made serious allegations against the committee via e-mail, stating he would refuse to recognise members representing the MK Party, the EFF and ActionSA, Lekganyane added.
He facing accusations of wielding undue influence over the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), with some witnesses alleging he was effectively “in charge” of SAPS, Ipid and the National Prosecuting Authority.
O’Sullivan was originally scheduled to appear before the committee on January 21 and 22.
O’Sullivan, who settled in South Africa in 1989, is a household name for his work helping to take down Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir, now serving a 35-year prison sentence.
It took years for Krejcir to be arrested as bodies piled up in Johannesburg where the ganglord managed to establish a neat little empire co-opting corrupt SAPS members.
O’Sullivan has been targetted for assassination, shot at, dragged off a plane and illegally arrested and charged (later dismissed) and serially harassed during various raids on his offices in Johannesburg.
O’Sullivan has, for years, been a serial charge layer and has opened cases against Lawerence Mrwebi and Nomgcobo Jiba (NPA advocates who have since both been struck off the roll), Richard Mdluli (former head of Crime Intelligence who was finally fired this year), Prince Mokotedi (former NPA investigator and now head of the Gauteng Hawks), Arthur Fraser (State Security Agency Director General who plays a key role in Jacques Pauw’s The President’s Keepers) and several others.
The meeting concluded with confirmation that the committee will resume in Parliament on Tuesday, 20 January at 11:00, when former Ipid head Robert McBride expected to testify.