Hawks head Berning Ntlemeza apparently indulged in a heated exchange with NPA boss Shaun Abrahams in a bid to persuade him not to withdraw fraud charges against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.
The North Gauteng High Court has set aside the decision to appoint Berning Ntlemeza as head of the Hawks.
The court ruled that the appointment was unlawful and invalid.
Freedom Under Law and the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) had applied to have Ntlemeza’s appointment declared irrational and unlawful, and set aside.
In March 2015, Judge Elias Matojane ruled that Ntlemeza “lacks integrity and honour” and had made false statements under oath. He was acting Hawks head at the time.
Ntlemeza and the HSF had met in court several times following the suspension of former Hawks head Anwa Dramat for his alleged involvement of the alleged illegal rendition of a group of Zimbabwean nationals in 2010.
Ntlemeza was appointed in an acting capacity. KwaZulu-Natal Hawks boss Major-General Johan Booysen and the unit’s Gauteng head, Shadrack Sibiya, were subsequently suspended. Dramat later quit.