The grin on Jackie Selebi's face yesterday was an indication of the former national police commissioner's excitement about a rare bit of good news.

Shortly after he won his application for leave to appeal his conviction for corruption, the National Prosecuting Authority announced that the police's Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigations, the Hawks, were investigating allegations of "irregularities against certain NPA officials".

Last week, Selebi charged that "information had been discovered suggesting that the investigation and prosecution which led to my conviction have been improper".

Yesterday, the national director of public prosecutions, Menzi Simelane, confirmed receipt of "complaints" from Selebi's lawyers and the SA Revenue Service.

The NPA said it would carry out an internal investigation of the allegations.

Throughout his corruption trial, Selebi maintained that he was the target of a malicious prosecution motivated by a political agenda.

Selebi argued that the prosecution, led by Gerrie Nel, had an "ulterior motive" for trying him, the motive being that he had supported the disbanding of the Scorpions or putting it under the control of the police.

During his trial, Selebi accused NPA and Scorpions investigators of waging a vendetta against him after he supported the closure of the unit.

Applications by Selebi's defence team during the trial that the case be thrown out, and that Judge Meyer Joffe recuse himself, failed.

Selebi's lawyer, who argued that there were several grounds for leave to appeal, made no mention of the allegations during the application yesterday morning.

Joffe rejected all allegations that he had been biased. He insisted that Selebi had been fairly tried.

Joffe, who found Selebi guilty last month of corruption and sentenced him to 15 years in jail, ruled that Selebi could appeal only against his conviction for receiving payments of R166000 from Glenn Agliotti.

Joffe said this was the only aspect he believed had a reasonable prospect of success in an appeal based on whether "the state proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused received the payments that have been found to have been made to him".

Selebi's advocate, Jaap Cilliers, argued that there were discrepancies in the state's case, and that it had failed to prove his client had received the payments for which he was found guilty. He referred to a R30000 payment Selebi received from Agliotti for an Interpol dinner held for Selebi to lobby votes for his candidacy as president of the organisation.

Selebi's bail was extended pending a decision by the Supreme Court of Appeal.