Phiyega will only respond to inquiry findings when she receives the report

04 December 2016 - 20:11 By TMG Digital
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Lawyers for suspended national police commissioner General Riah Phiyega say that she will only respond to the Claassen Board of Inquiry findings into her fitness to hold office after receiving the report from the board.

City Press reported on Sunday that the board had found that Phiyega was not fit to hold office and that she should be dismissed. The newspaper said that three sources with knowledge of the findings had told it that the board of inquiry‚ headed by Judge Cornelis Claassen‚ had also found that Phiyega had lied to the Marikana Commission of Inquiry into the 2012 Marikana massacre in which 34 miners were killed during a protest for higher wages.

Phiyega is challenging the findings of the commission‚ the newspaper said.

City Press added that the findings had not been communicated to President Jacob Zuma because the presidency had yet to provide a date on which the board could brief him about its findings and recommendations. The inquiry concluded on June 3 and the report was finalised on November 13‚ it said.

In response to the report‚ Phiyega’s lawyers said in a statement on Sunday: “As legal counsel to suspended national police commissioner General Riah Phiyega‚ we wish to state that neither General Phiyega nor any member of her legal team will comment on the findings of the Claassen Board of Inquiry until such time when a copy of the findings of the Board of Inquiry is made available to us by the board‚ which‚ at this stage‚ has not happened‚ either formally or informally.

“Contrary to what is reported in an article published in today’s City Press newspaper (4 December 2016)‚ we are yet to approach the Claassen Board of Inquiry to seek clarification on when it intends to avail the findings of the inquiry to our client.”

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