/ 15 March 1996

Top cop to face charges

A high-ranking policeman faces charges in what is thought to touch on a much larger probe into police corruption, writes Stefaans Brummer

TOP policeman Charlie Landman, head of Johannesburg’s Brixton Murder and Robbery squad, is facing charges in what well-placed sources say is “chapter one” of a probe into massive high-level police corruption.

Transvaal Attorney General Jan D’Oliveira confirmed this week that Landman had been notified of the intention to charge him with a contravention of the Corruption Act and attempting to defeat the ends of justice, alternatively fraud.

The case against Landman — in charge of the inconclusive “red mercury” murders investigation in 1994 — is understood to be connected with a much larger investigation into police involvement in crime.

There is no suggestion at this stage that Landman is subject to the wider investigation, which is understood to look at the involvement of police in organised commercial crime, but which also touches on the “third force”.

That the office of D’Oliveira — responsible for the prosecution of Vlakplaas policeman Eugene de Kock — is in charge of aspects of the investigation is seen as a measure of the seriousness of the allegations against senior policemen. A special investigation team under D’Oliveira was formed two years ago after Judge Richard Goldstone’s third force revelations.

D’Oliveira said Landman would be officially charged once ministerial authority had been granted to hear the matter in his jurisdiction. This authority is usually necessary where different crimes, or aspects of a crime, have been committed in the areas of jurisdiction of different attorneys general, and where the trial needs to be centralised in one area.

The Mail & Guardian learnt this week that the death of Deputy Justice Minister Gert Myburgh on Monday has delayed this authorisation. A liaison officer for Justice Minister Dullah Omar said Myburgh had been dealing with it and that it could take some time to pick up where Myburgh left off.

D’Oliveira did not give details of the charges, but they are understood to relate to an incident when Landman allegedly tried to convince Cape Attorney General Frank Kahn to drop the prosecution of someone Landman maintained was a “valuable informer” to police.

The section of the Corruption Act Landman is to be charged with deals with officials accepting unjust benefit to abuse their position of authority.

Landman was arrested briefly last year, but released and not charged when he told D’Oliveira’s office that he wanted to make representations which could influence the case. D’Oliveira said in writing that Landman was not charged when he asked to make representations “on the merits”, but also “(as he explained to us) his child(ren) were busy with exams and the publicity could have had a negative influence”.

D’Oliveira said it was decided to go ahead after “certain affidavits” were received. The M&G has been told by a police source that Landman said at the time that a highly-placed police officer and Deputy President Thabo Mbeki would back his story. Only the police officer is said to have made a supporting statement.

It is known that Mbeki was introduced to Landman in 1994 by reporters investigating the string of murders claimed at the time to be linked to the mystery substance “red mercury”. Mbeki was asked to facilitate a proper investigation.

Landman this week confirmed he had been notified of the intended charges, but would not give details. “Ask D’Oliveira, he’s the one who wants to charge me,” he said.

Landman said it was a “load of shit” that he had claimed Mbeki could provide an explanation.

The M&G last week reported on a degree of surprise over the co-operation between Landman and former Civil Co-operation Bureau (CCB) operative “Slang” van Zyl, now a private investigator, in the arrest of Dr Omar Sabadia for the alleged contract murder of his wife Zahida.

Brixton Murder and Robbery squad was the source of a number of operatives for the CCB in the 1980s, and there are allegations of contact between them and serving Brixton members.

Landman was one of more than two thousand

policemen who applied for indemnity shortly before the 1994 elections.