Mungo Soggot
JUSTICE Minsister Dullah Omar said this week the squad of judges and lawyers recently appointed to root out state corruption could be the first of several special units to dispense a new brand of swift justice against public-sector malpractice.
The Special Investigative Unit and Special Tribunal, which was set up by President Nelson Mandela, will specialise in “speedier and more effective” ways of dealing with corruption in the public sector.
Omar says the Special Unit and Tribunals Act, under which the special squad was set up, allows for a wide scope of operation. His department, however, has still to allocate the initial operation a budget.
Omar says the investigative unit and tribunal will expand upon the work of Judge Willem Heath, whose commission of inquiry into state malpractice in the Eastern Cape was “successful”.
Heath will head the new investigative unit, which will operate from King Williams Town, the headquarters of his former commission. He will work with eight lawyers.
The tribunal will be staffed by three judges – headed by Judge Gerhardus Kotze – while the investigative unit will be staffed by eight lawyers and one other judge. The entire operation will initially employ up to 70 people — including the judges, lawyers, up to 30 policemen and administrative staff.
Gerhard Visagie, one of the investigative unit’s senior officials, says the tribunal will provide a “streamlined” alternative to normal courts.
Once the unit has wrapped up an investigation, it will give the parties seven days to decide whether to oppose the charges against them.
After that proceedings can start within 21 days – swifter than in the high court, where it can take up to a year to come to trial, Visagie says.
The squad will operate by investigating suspicious transactions and contracts. It has the power to strike them down if they are proved fraudulent.
Launching the new unit, Mandela said it would investigate government corruption, illegal land deals and the theft of billions of rand. Its initial targets will include feeding-scheme maladministration, pensions and tender irregularities, theft and illegal land deals.