Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) head Andrea Johnson’s involvement in her husband, Junaid’s, hiring process to the disbanded Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions) 18 years ago came back to haunt her on Wednesday, in her interview for the position of national director of public prosecutions (NDPP).
A seven-member panel, chaired by justice and constitutional development minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, is interviewing six candidates to replace NPA head Shamila Batohi, whose term is due to conclude in January.
The interviews take place as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) faces criticism for its performance on state capture prosecutions.
Johnson’s nomination attracted 209 comments.
Panelist member advocate Machini Motloung, representative of the National Association of Democratic Lawyers, told her most of the concerns flagged discomfort with her remarks before parliament about the hiring process of her husband to the Scorpions in 2007.
Johnson told parliament she had been part of a panel that recommended her husband be hired, but she had taken precautionary measures including declaring they were married, not interviewing or scoring her husband and not taking part in deliberations regarding her husband’s candidature.
Johnson said she followed a process in place at the time, and her husband had also declared they were married.
This panel will have to judge me on my entire performance and my history in the NPA. If I am to be penalised on a misjudgment I made, then it is a penalty I have to live with.
— Idac head Andrea Johnson
“I did physically recuse myself from shortlisting, the actual interview and the actual adjudication.”
She accepted before the panel she should not have been part of the entire process to avoid any irregularities.
“I do regret [it], I wish someone raised that it was irregular,” Johnson said.
The matter was raised in parliament as KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged there were rogue elements within Idac, as the unit investigates a fraud case against police crime intelligence boss Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo.
Johnson denied the allegations, asserting that the case against Khumalo was based on complaints levelled against him and that Idac had the duty to probe.
She said the matter of her husband’s hiring process was raised for the first time in 18 years in parliament when responding to Mkhwanazi’s allegations.
“I accept that maybe what I should have done in 2007 was recuse myself completely. It was a misjudgment. In hindsight, I accept I could have done better and differently. I accept that how it looks is not good.”
Johnson urged the panel to consider her entire record in public service, adamant she acted with integrity in her career spanning more than three decades, when considering her candidature.
“This panel will have to judge me on my entire performance and my history in the NPA. If I am to be penalised on a misjudgment I made, then it is a penalty I have to live with.”
Johnson is up against NPA Western Cape head Nicolette Bell, her deputy Adrian Mopp, Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime chair Xolisile Khanyile, former NPA investigating director Hermione Cronje and former NPA head Menzi Simelane.
The interviews continue on Thursday.
Catch up on Wednesday interviews here:
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