New corruption allegations have been levelled against corruption-fighter Willie Hofmeyr, the head of the Special Investigating Unit and the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), and his colleagues, the Sunday Times reported.
The paper said National Prosecuting Authority officials in various provinces claimed the charges were stage-managed by NPA boss Menzi Simelane.
“They want to close us down — the whole Asset Forfeiture Unit,” the paper quoted a senior prosecution staff member as saying, who spoke to the Sunday Times on condition of anonymity.
The paper said it had established that Simelane had referred new corruption claims by billionaire Dave King against Hofmeyr to the police.
Simelane ordered a probe into Knorx Molelle — the head of the AFU in KwaZulu-Natal — who is part of the investigation into the high-profile Inkata case, the paper said.
Intaka is owned by Gaston Savoi, the Uruguayan businessman accused of bribing two senior ANC officials. The officials allegedly solicited a R1-million bribe from Savoi in 2007 in exchange for a R45-million government tender.
The Sunday Times said prosecutors feared the probe had angered politicians in KwaZulu-Natal, and that the NPA’s reaction was part of a wider plot by Simelane against Hofmeyr and the AFU.
The King allegations follow on the heels of an investigation into Hofmeyr for allegedly misappropriating SIU funds and flouting procurement rules procedures in the awarding of a tender to refurbish the unit’s offices in Silverton, Pretoria.
‘Nasty’ allegations
Hofmeyr has said he was confident of a fair and speedy investigation, despite the “nasty” allegations against him.
He added: “For anybody in a position dealing with serious cases of corruption, the most common way [to derail them] is to discredit the person or institution doing the investigation.”
The SIU is involved in several investigations, including fraud and maladministration cases against 16 departments and public entities.
Hofmeyr also worked with Public Protector Thuli Madonsela on the probe into the multibillion-rand lease of police headquarters in Pretoria. – Sapa