A unit of the Hawks tasked with investigating crimes against the state is probing SAA staff and private investigators for espionage, sabotage, fraud and corruption. Police, attempting to quash reports that embattled SAA board chairman Dudu Myeni was the subject of the investigation, said yesterday she was not being probed."She is proving instrumental in our investigation. She and the entire SAA board are providing us with vital information and assistance," said police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi.Mulaudzi said the investigation, which began in November, was probing the alleged irregular closing of multimillion-rand long-haul routes between South Africa and Senegal, India and Beijing, tender irregularities, corruption, fraud, cyber espionage and alleged plans to deliberately down SAA aircraft.Mulaudzi said "intensive interviews" had been conducted with several people, who were providing vital information on those behind the alleged crimes.He said the suspicion was that there were people inside and outside SAA involved in the plots.For months SAA has been embroiled in sagas that have dragged in President Jacob Zuma's name, got then finance minister Nhlanhla Nene fired, and seen the SAA board attempting to stop the media from publishing a legal opinion on its dire financial status, and aircraft manufacturer Airbus threatening legal action for SAA's failure to honour purchasing agreements on 20 aircraft.Aviation insiders, SAA pilots and a private investigator are questioning the direction of the police investigation, rubbishing allegations of aircraft sabotage and saying Myeni should be investigated for alleged fraud and for misleading parliament.A police source with knowledge of the investigation said there was definite cause for concern."Disinformation" is deliberately being peddled to falsely implicate SAA's board members. Espionage has been occurring with people's e-mails hacked and telephone calls monitored."The intention has been to deliberately steal and defraud the parastatal and taxpayers out of billions of rands."He said regarding the sabotage allegations investigators were looking into the involvement of aircraft technicians and pilots.The source said they were looking at who would benefit from the closure of lucrative routes."These include companies and people who have a business interest in such things. Investigators will look at who has secured certain tenders."SAA spokesman Tlali Tlali said the airline had instructed staff to co-operate.Tlali said the allegations must be serious enough to have attracted the attention of police. He said the evaluation of route performance was constantly ongoing."This enables us to make appropriate commercial decisions on the deployment of our resources."Forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan said the board had run the parastatal into the ground."I have identified fraud, committed after parliament was lied to about SAA's financial health, despite advice from its own legal adviser that the airline was facing insolvency."The investigation must probe Myeni, who is central to all that is occurring at SAA. The fact that the police are not investigating Myeni, but instead relying on her to assist in their investigation, is an outrage."He said answers were needed about how Myeni was able to escape investigation.An SAA pilot said the allegations were being made by people trying to sow discontent. "The sabotage theory is rubbish. There are so many checks in place, including by the crew, it would be impossible to do. No one, especially technicians, know which pilot is flying which plane until nearly 24 hours before the flight."Why would pilots want to kill other pilots? If we, as SAA pilots, are so unhappy, it is easy to apply for a better-paying position in a rival airline company. There is a definite third force involvement in this ugly mess."An aviation insider said the police statement was bizarre."It shows that someone has asked the question about investigations into Myeni. Government has rushed to put out a press release to try to kill a story before it is published, raising everyone's curiosity."Why put out a statement like this? Who has said and has information on Myeni being investigated?"They are trying to kill a story."Additional reporting by Simon Bloch..