Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi, who is facing corruption charges, will appear in court on February 1, prosecutors said on Thursday.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Tlali Tlali said Selebi would appear in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court. He gave no further details.
Selebi’s attorney, Wynanda Coetzee, said on Thursday afternoon the NPA had yet to formally notify her office of the decision.
”We haven’t heard anything,” she said.
”It came to me as a surprise. I heard it from one of the radio stations … on the news a few minutes ago.”
However, Coetzee said it was one of the dates Selebi’s legal team had suggested for the hearing.
She nonetheless emphasised that she would have to confirm the date on Friday morning with the advocates who would defend Selebi.
The NPA originally wanted the case on the roll on January 30, but one of Selebi’s advocates was not available, said Coetzee.
The legal team had instead suggested that the case be heard on January 28, because they wanted the matter finalised as soon as possible.
They had also suggested January 31 and February 1 as possible court dates.
However, they had been unable to reach the NPA telephonically, said Coetzee, who also claimed the NPA had not responded to any letters about the matter from her office.
President Thabo Mbeki placed Selebi on extended leave on Saturday, a day after prosecutors said they would charge the police chief with corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering. Selebi denies any wrongdoing.
A copy of Selebi’s indictment, made available to the media earlier by the NPA, includes allegations that he received payments from his friend Glen Agliotti, a convicted drug smuggler accused of playing a role in the 2005 murder of mining magnate Brett Kebble.
Selebi resigned as president of Interpol as he fights the allegations, the world police organisation said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Selebi’s lawyers will have another meeting on Friday that may lead to them securing a date from the judge president for a hearing to have the probe against him halted.
Last Friday Selebi made an urgent application to have an investigation against him stopped.
He failed to have the matter heard urgently, but in court papers, the acting national director of public prosecutions Mokotedi Mpshe said he was ready to charge Selebi with corruption and defeating the course of justice. – Reuters, Sapa