The testimony of former Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) head Robert McBride took a dramatic turn on Wednesday after ActionSA MP Dereleen James produced explosive documents that appeared to contradict his earlier statements.
McBride faced intense questioning by members of parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations of corruption and interference in the criminal justice system originally raised by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Central to the day’s proceedings was McBride’s relationship with private forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan. Addressing allegations that O’Sullivan exercised undue influence over Ipid during his tenure, McBride admitted to receiving tips from the investigator to supplement Ipid’s limited forensic resources.
However, he maintained that he never shared internal Ipid information with O’Sullivan and claimed he had “brought him to order” whenever he attempted to interfere in active investigations.
The atmosphere shifted when James asked McBride if he had ever shared information with O’Sullivan or his close associate, attorney Sarah-Jane Trent. McBride denied doing so. When asked how frequently he communicated with the pair, McBride stated it was roughly once a month.
James then produced communication records between McBride and Trent.
Among the documents was a message from McBride to Trent that read, “Give this to Paul,” referencing specific case numbers of SAPS officials.
McBride defended the message, claiming he was merely informing them of a conspiracy against them.
The revelation led to a heated exchange, with James accusing McBride of protecting the duo and misleading parliament.
“You are protecting O’Sullivan and Trent,” James said. “Earlier, you testified that you didn’t give information to these individuals. You said you only speak to them once a month, yet the records reflect you spoke to them every day, all day long. You have lied twice to this committee.”
McBride flatly denied the accusation, responding, “That’s not true.”
James further alleged that McBride was in contact with Trent almost daily throughout 2016.
“The two of you were going out for drinks. The two of you had a romantic affair,” James asserted. McBride denied the allegation of an affair.
Emphasising the committee’s mandate to investigate the infiltration of the justice system, James argued that McBride had facilitated that very problem.
“You rolled out the red carpet for O’Sullivan,” James said. “Trent acted as the intermediary, providing you with information from O’Sullivan. You would meet and share information on SAPS matters. It cannot be right that you allowed dodgy people to infiltrate SAPS.”
McBride maintained his innocence, stating he had never facilitated the infiltration of the police service.
The confrontation peaked when James alleged that communication logs showed McBride asking Trent to obtain credit information on certain individuals.
“I don’t remember that specifically, but it’s not a problem for me to ask,” McBride replied. “Normally, we would ask the DPCI (Hawks) and they would do it for us.”
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