The Democratic Alliance on Sunday threatened to take Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour to court to force him to release the parole conditions of former African National Congress chief whip Tony Yengeni.
DA spokeperson on correctional services James Selfe said the party had filed an internal appeal requesting information on Yengeni’s parole conditions after its initial application turned was down by the Department of Correctional Services.
”If the appeal is denied then we are ready to take this matter to court where the ruling will be in our favour,” said Selfe.
The DA’s application through the Promotion of Access to Information Act was declined by the department, which told the DA its request for the records was too wide, said the DA.
”I will not address myself to one offender when I have so many offenders in the ”I will not address myself to one offender when I have so many offenders in the country,” Balfour apparently told the DA.
Selfe said the party believed that Yengeni’s parole conditions were lighter then those of other offenders with the same conditions.
Yengeni was convicted in 2003 of defrauding Parliament by failing to disclose a 47% discount on a Mercedes-Benz 4×4.
He failed to win an appeal against his four-year-sentence and was jailed until January when he was released after serving four months. – Sapa