Former national police commissioner Jackie Selebi had large amounts of cash he could not explain, the Supreme Court of Appeal heard on Wednesday.
This was the contention of prosecutor Gerrie Nel as he began arguing the state’s case in the appeal hearing of the former top cop.
Selebi was sentenced to a 15-year jail term last year for corruption in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg after accepting payments from convicted drug trafficker Glenn Agliotti.
He remains free pending the appeal.
Prompted by Nel’s submission on Wednesday about the unexplained cash, Judge Suretta Snyders said that Selebi would not be the first person to like “stashing cash”.
“But the cash was unexplained,” submitted Nel. He said the average individual would know that cash paid into an account would leave a paper trail.
Nel said his arguments for the day would focus on the corroboration aspects of the evidence.
This would include findings of a KPMG report, and how Selebi used inside knowledge as police head to influence the case.
“Everything advanced to this court was done at the trial court,” said Nel referring to Selebi’s arguments on Tuesday.
He submitted that the SCA should keep in mind that Selebi was the head of the SA Police Service and the international policing body Interpol.
“Here was somebody that knows what police were looking for, keep it in mind,” said Nel.
He submitted that Selebi knew from an early stage what kind of man Agliotti was.
Before the tea break, Nel argued various aspects of the evidence in regard to cash Selebi received from Agliotti and the lack of activity in Selebi’s bank accounts at times for somebody with normal household expenses.
The hearing continues. — Sapa
For coverage of former police chief Jackie Selebi’s corruption trial and aftermath, visit our special report.
