Ipid lashes out at cops over O'Sullivan's arrest

The arrest of private forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan is an act of intimidation, abuse of power and an attempt to scupper the Independent Police Investigative Directorate's corruption investigation of acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane.

Ipid yesterday hit out at Monday's arrest of O' Sullivan for fraud, extortion and intimidation.

The charges relate to O'Sullivan and his assistant, Sarah-Jane Trent, allegedly pretending to be Ipid investigators.

Policing and law experts are asking why the police - who defied a court order that O'Sullivan be given 48 hours' notice of an impeding arrest - failed to ask Ipid in what capacity the investigator was helping them in their probe of Phahlane.

Ipid spokesman Moses Dlamini said: "We are compelled to set the record straight.

"The Ipid Act requires co-operation from anyone called to assist Ipid in its investigation. Failure to do so is an offence. Trent and O'Sullivan are our witnesses in this investigation.

"We see their arrest as an act of intimidation and an attempt to interfere with Ipid's investigation."

He said the arrests were purportedly for impersonating Ipid investigators.

"Evidence at our disposal will show the actions of the police are nothing but an abuse of power."

He said there was no evidence of any impropriety by the two, who did not pretend to be Ipid investigators.

"It is interesting that the police rushed to arrest these two on allegations relating to their involvement with Ipid without obtaining a statement from Ipid to corroborate the allegations against them.

"This must be looked at in the context of the police attempting to interfere in a legitimate Ipid investigation."

Police spokesman Brigadier Sally de Beer refused to comment.

Policing and law experts claim the arrests are indicative of the bitterness of the feud between Ipid and the police.

O'Sullivan was arrested a week after Phahlane asked the Pretoria High Court to have O'Sullivan stopped from assisting Ipid in its investigation of his conduct.

Phahlane is being investigated for allegedly receiving kickbacks from companies that won contracts to sell chemicals to the police forensic science laboratories he once headed.

Constitutional law expert Marinus Wiechers said Ipid had the power to appoint outside experts to assist it. He said O'Sullivan's arrest was the way a police state took over - by shutting down investigations.

"South Africans should be demanding answers as to why this is allowed to occur."

Johan Burger, the Institute for Security Studies' policing expert, said the Ipid Act allowed Ipid to seek assistance in investigations.

"There is nothing wrong with the directorate asking people for information, or asking experts ... for help. But the person providing [it] cannot be part of an investigating team."