The Selebi Case

It wasn't about income - it was about an exchange of information: that's the version of the 'generally corrupt relationship' between drug lord Glenn Agliotti and former top cop Jackie Selebi that the latter tried this week to convince a court was nothing but the truth, writes Kim Hawkey

After protesting his innocence for months, Jackie Selebi stepped down as the police's national commissioner on January 12 2008. A mere 24 hours later his lawyers were negotiating with the National Prosecuting Authority so that he could hand himself over to face the music.

On Thursday, the man who once told the Sunday Times: "They will never arrest me," finally had his moment in the dock at the High Court in Johannesburg, where he is battling charges of corruption and defeating the ends of justice.

In September 2007, Selebi had openly dared the NPA to come after him. "If there is a warrant for me, I will stand on the 10th floor of the Sandton Towers so that the Scorpions can arrest me."

This week Selebi, a former head of Interpol, who initially insisted that Glenn Agliotti was his friend "finish and klaar", had some explaining to do.

His initial, bald denials of the claims against him made way for confirmation, in some cases - yes, Agliotti was a friend; yes, they met frequently; and yes, he did share government information with the gangster.

He also confirmed that he called his mate to ask who had removed Brett Kebble's car after the murder of the mining magnate, and that he had spoken to Agliotti several times about the murder. Agliotti is one of the accused in this murder; he has claimed it was an "assisted suicide".

Selebi also said he had given Agliotti parts of a dossier that detailed his involvement in a crime network and contained information on the Kebble murder.

With his hands on his hips, Selebi stood in the dock and said: "I gave him the document that contained that information. That was not meant to warn him .... I said: 'Here is this thing that says all of these things. Take this to your lawyers and see what legal steps they can take about exposure of spreading false information about yourself'. "

The country's former police head saw nothing wrong with his actions, or the relationship , instead painting himself as a good guy with an open-door policy and with the country's best interests at heart. For him, Agliotti was a source of information and not a source of income - Selebi has pleaded not guilty to receiving bribes of R1-million in cash, and lavish gifts from his underworld friend.

With Agliotti's version already part of the court record, Selebi's version will help Judge Meyer Joffe determine who indeed is the liar.