National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola has responded to allegations made by DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard that he met crime intelligence CFO Maj-Gen Philani Lushaba, who is on bail over charges including perjury and corruption.
Kohler Barnard alleged Masemola met Lushaba on September 9 and 10 this year, claiming the accused contravened his bail conditions.
“This is an absolute scandal that strikes at the very heart of our criminal justice system,” Barnard said. “This is not a mere oversight, it brazenly undermines the rule of law.
“The bail conditions were explicitly clear and strict for a reason: to protect the integrity of the investigation, to shield witnesses from potential intimidation and to ensure that individuals charged with serious crimes do not have the opportunity to manipulate the system they are accused of corrupting.”
Barnard further wrote to acting police minister Firoz Cachalia, requesting immediate action against Masemola and the rearrest of Lushaba.
Testifying before parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations of corruption in the criminal justice system on Thursday, Masemola dismissed the allegations.
“These allegations are baseless. It is a well-known fact that on the 9th and 10th, I was in Cape Town. My movements during that week were widely circulated in the media, yet an MP persisted in pursuing the false narrative.”
He criticised Barnard for spreading “gossip” about him.
“If I could guess what the motive of the media statement was, I wouldn’t know, but as I said, my movements were widely covered, and Lushaba had no bail conditions whatsoever.
“I thought members of parliament would only report facts and not gossip. If the member has facts, it would be fair enough for them to produce them. Maybe I don’t know. But to say I met Lushaba when I was in Cape Town and he was in Pretoria, I wouldn’t know how one comes to that conclusion. If I ever met him, is there any criminal offence?”
Masemola also addressed reports of his false arrest, allegedly over the misuse of slush funds from the secret service account of the police crime intelligence division, which the NPA’s Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) dismissed.
“It never happened. Who would spread such falsehoods, and what would be the intention?
“One can only speculate without knowing exactly if we trust our media and whether they report with integrity. I have no doubt the intention was to discredit me and undermine my integrity.”
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