Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe was on Monday waiting to hear whether the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) would relaunch a formal misconduct inquiry against him, his lawyer said.
”A decision was made on Saturday but we have not been informed of anything, neither of us. We are just waiting,” Barnabas Xulu said.
The JSC complaints subcommittee met on Saturday to decide how to proceed with a complaint by the Constitutional Court against Hlophe.
Their options were to hold a formal inquiry into allegations that Hlophe tried to influence two judges on rulings relating to the now-abandoned corruption case against President Jacob Zuma, or to drop the charges that have haunted Hlophe for more than a year.
JSC spokesperson advocate Marumo Moerane has left a voicemail greeting on his mobile phone saying the subcommittee, of which he is a member, would announce its decision in due course.
He was cited in the media as saying the group planned to make public the reasons for its decision and also indicate whether it had been unanimous.
The other members of the subcommittee, which was appointed last month, are advocate Ishmael Semenya and Gauteng Judge President Bernard Ngoepe.
They also had to decide how to proceed with a counter-complaint by Hlophe, who claims the Constitutional Court judges violated his rights by making their allegations against him public.
Hlophe has been nominated for an appointment to the Constitutional Court in October. — Sapa