Paul Kirk
The owner of The Ranch this week claimed that top policemen had frequented his establishment for free sex before last week’s raid on Johannesburg’s premier high- class brothel.
The Ranch’s owner, Andrew Phillips, who has been released on R10E000 bail, said that in addition to using the facilities for free, senior officers struck a deal with a leading Pretoria lawyer to whom they gave substantial legal work in exchange for paid sex.
Phillips has recruited nine advocates to launch his legal counter-attack against the raid, which was masterminded by the head of the asset forfeiture unit, Willie Hofmeyr.
“I am going on a road show,” Phillips said. “Someone needs to expose how crooked the system is.”
Phillips said that as long as he co- operated with police extortion schemes he was allowed to run the brothel.
Explaining the police’s arrangement with the leading Pretoria lawyer, Phillips said that in exchange for the police referring their prisoners to him for legal assistance, the lawyer bankrolled the officers’ wild nights at The Ranch.
“The amount of work they gave him was so great that the cops were complaining that he was making more in a day than they made in a month,” Phillips said.
“When I put a stop to this practice my troubles began. And to add insult to injury these cops referred girls from The Ranch to this gentleman when they were arrested last week.”
The name of the lawyer, which is known to the Mail & Guardian, appears in affidavits drawn up in the state’s case against Phillips.
Asked to comment on the claim Director Stef Grobler, national commander of the anti-corruption unit, confirmed that he was aware of the allegations, but that an investigation had got nowhere.
The M&G is in possession of a list of the policemen who were participating in the scheme. They include some of the most senior police investigating illegal aliens in Gauteng.
On another level Phillips claimed policemen from the aliens investigation unit extorted free holidays out of him. According to affidavits shown to the M&G the detectives intimidated and forced Phillips to pay for illegal aliens found on his property to be repatriated.
Said Grobler: “We also investigated this matter. In fact, we charged a number of policemen with corruption in this regard. It was our contention that it was the duty of the state to pay for the repatriation. Phillips also was forced to pay for the investigator to travel with as an escort. The policemen we charged were acquitted in court though. I was very surprised.”
During these trips Phillips alleges that the policemen not only had all-expenses-paid holidays at his expense, but that they also intimidated women into having sex with them once they reached their destination.
On yet another level Phillips also claims that officers extorted not only sex but also cash from women at The Ranch. Phillips claims that, in exchange for the use of his premises, policemen turned a blind eye to the prostitution.
Said Phillips: “What went on at The Ranch was disgusting. In exchange for money and sex the cops would look the other way. And what happened at The Ranch is going on all over.
“I was the only one who said no and as soon as I said no I became the victim of a vendetta.”