Former spy boss Billy Masetlha said he found it amusing that the inspector general of intelligence kept asking for a report that had been sent to him several times, the Hatfield Community Court heard on Monday.
Testifying under cross-examination, Masetlha said repeated requests from the inspector general for information ”took him aback and he started wondering what was going on”.
Masetlha is charged with contravening the Intelligence Services Oversight Act by withholding evidence from the Inspector General of Intelligence, Zolile Ngcakani.
Prosecutor Matric Luphondo was questioning the timeframe of when the documents were created and eventually sent to the inspector general.
Masetlha got upset at Luphondo and accused the prosecutor of behaving ”as though you are not learned” and urged him to ”try other tricks”.
This followed Luphondo’s repeated questioning about the documents Masetlha said he had sent to the inspector general’s office.
The former spy boss said the timeframe should not matter and that there should not be any disputes about the dates in which documents were sent.
”The question is whether I complied with the [inspector general] and the answer is yes — several times,” Masetlha said, adding that he had sent the documents asked for over and over again.
The court also overruled an objection by the National Intelligence Agency’s director general to supply certain information in the trial.
NIA director general Manala Manzini was subpoenaed by the defence to provide information in the Masetlha case.
Manzini had complied with the request but objected to one of the requirements — the intelligence report on Project Fairwood.
Manzini objected on the grounds that the documents were irrelevant to Masetlha’s charges and that it amounted to abuse of the process of court.
In denying the application, the magistrate said the accused had a right to a fair trial and should be allowed the opportunity to show his innocence by way of evidence no longer available to him.
The magistrate added that the secrecy of the report was irrelevant as the accused right’s were important.
The trial continues. — Sapa