O’Sullivan and his ex-associate Trent deny ‘infiltrating’ Ipid during heated parliamentary inquiry

In a day of tense testimony before parliament’s ad-hoc committee on Thursday, private forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan and his former associate, Sarah-Jane Trent, addressed allegations that they had “infiltrated” the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).

The committee is investigating claims of systemic corruption and political interference in the criminal justice system. O’Sullivan and Trent are accused of improperly influencing Ipid during its probe into former acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane.

The session began with O’Sullivan concluding his testimony, which had been cut short after he abruptly departed parliament the previous week. He was followed by Trent, whose appearance took an emotional turn under questioning.

The duo’s testimony follows earlier claims by former NPA prosecutor Michael Mashuga, who alleged that Ipid was effectively “infiltrated” and led by O’Sullivan and Trent to target Phahlane.

They are further accused of impersonating official Ipid investigators to obtain witness statements.

O’Sullivan denied these claims, labelling them “blatant lies” and a “false narrative”.

“I did not infiltrate Ipid or any organs of state. I hereby unequivocally deny these false, defamatory and criminally malicious allegations. The truth is much simpler and far more rational.”

Taking the stand, Trent detailed her history with O’Sullivan’s firm. She explained that she began working for him on a pro bono basis in February 2015, volunteering her services because the firm was not hiring at the time. While her role was initially limited to research, she eventually rose to become a director at Paul O’Sullivan and Associates and Forensics for Justice, a position she held for six years.

The atmosphere in the chamber shifted when evidence leader advocate Bongiwe Mkhize questioned the firm’s specific involvement in the Phahlane investigation.

O’Sullivan, who filed a formal complaint against Phahlane in 2016, maintained that he did not lead an illegal investigation but merely directed Ipid officials towards evidence of corruption he had already uncovered.

Trent testified that she conducted research to assist Ipid, eventually meeting former Ipid head Robert McBride and senior investigator Mandla Mahlangu, who was leading the Phahlane probe.

She recalled travelling to Phahlane’s residence at Sable Hills with investigators to obtain house plans as part of the corruption inquiry.

The proceedings reached a breaking point when MPs pressed Trent to identify the specific regulations that permit Ipid to solicit assistance from private organisations.

While Trent cited the Ipid Act, arguing it allows private entities to assist the directorate, she struggled to provide specific sections of the law to substantiate her claim. Under intense scrutiny, Trent clarified that they were not managing the investigation but were merely assisting with “simple tasks”.

“If I needed to run a search on something that came out of an investigation ... [Ipid] carried out the investigation. We went through the case with them,” she explained.

Trent broke down in tears under mounting pressure, prompting the committee to call a five-minute recess. Upon resuming, she maintained that Phahlane was “abusing his authority as acting national commissioner to protect himself from investigations”.

Trent also denied claims of infiltrating Ipid.

“There was no infiltration into Ipid. I had no control over anything in Ipid.”

She addressed allegations that she was involved in a romantic relationship with McBride, describing their relationship as “semi-social” and “nothing serious”.

“We met for meals, but not a lot,” Trent said.

Despite these denials, the committee previously heard evidence provided by Mashuga, who alleged that messages downloaded from Trent’s phone proved their involvement in Ipid matters continued until at least January 2017.

According to Mashuga, the duo received sensitive information from Ipid, including:

• private citizen cellphone records and bank statements;
• national ID numbers; and
• internal Ipid memoranda.