Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi believes his name will be cleared, his office said on Friday.
”The national commissioner of the SAPS [South African Police Service] has no doubt that the real facts will be revealed as time progresses and that his name will be cleared,” his spokesperson, Director Sally de Beer, said.
Police were responding to a story in Friday’s Mail & Guardian that alleges that Selebi has been aware of a criminal investigation against his friend Glenn Agliotti for the past four years.
The story was published after the newspaper won a last-minute court battle against the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on Thursday night, when the NPA tried to prevent publication.
It reports on a statement to the Scorpions, according to which Selebi was ”informed about Glenn Agliotti’s involvement” when police seized a R105-million Mandrax consignment in 2002. The subsequent investigation failed spectacularly — Agliotti remained untouched, suspects caught red-handed were released and much of the haul was stolen back from the police.
The newspaper said: ”The M&G has no evidence that Selebi personally interfered with the investigation, but the incident raises serious questions:
He has denied knowing of criminal allegations against Agliotti, his friend, including those contained in the statement. At issue is why he did not terminate the relationship.
The statement compounds evidence that Agliotti and those around him used their relationship with police — and Selebi in particular — as a ‘cover’ for crime.
The explosive statement was signed by Paul Stemmet, who headed Palto, a vigilante squad that freelanced for the police. The M&G presented evidence last week indicating that Palto raids, conducted in the name of the police, were turned into profit opportunities for Palto, Agliotti and others. Stemmet’s statement was made to the Scorpions earlier this year.
”The SAPS has conducted several investigations against the same person whose affidavit is being trumpeted by the Mail & Guardian as ‘evidence’,” said De Beer.
”The SAPS investigations against this person — and others — were in connection with a series of serious offences and were conducted in a thorough and objective fashion.
”The investigations have been finalised and the case dockets, a dozen in total, were handed over to the appropriate authority earlier this year for decision as to prosecution.”
De Beer said Selebi will be ”concentrating on his official duties” during the busy December holiday season.