No image available
/ 28 May 2008

Bad publicity may hurt Olympic turnout

A senior Chinese tourist official admitted on Wednesday that the storm of bad publicity surrounding China in the run-up to this summer’s Olympics could affect the number of foreign visitors to the Beijing Games. Southern China has been hit by freezing weather, there has been violent unrest in Tibet and now the huge earthquake in Sichuan.

No image available
/ 25 April 2008

Interpol raises spectre of terror attack at Games

There is a ”real possibility” that the Beijing Olympics will be targeted by terrorists or that anti-China groups could attack athletes, Interpol’s secretary general said on Friday. ”An attempted act of terrorism is a real possibility and a real concern that all Olympic host countries have shared in recent years,” said Ronald Noble.

No image available
/ 24 April 2008

Fidentia case postponed in Brown’s absence

Fidentia chief executive J Arthur Brown was on Thursday late for a scheduled appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court, on charges that include fraud involving the Transport, Education and Training Authority (Teta). In the dock without him were co-accused Dr Piet Bothma, Teta’s chief executive, and Jacobus Theart.

No image available
/ 11 April 2008

Briton faces trial over Serb massacre of 200 Croats

A British citizen was charged on Thursday with war crimes in the Balkans 16 years ago and faces trial in Belgrade for allegedly taking part in the murder of at least 200 Croatian prisoners by Serbian firing squads. Milorad Pejic, a Croatian Serb from the Croatian border town of Vukovar, lived in Corby in Northamptonshire for 10 years until last month.

No image available
/ 8 April 2008

FBI nabs Fidentia fugitive

One of the alleged masterminds in the Fidentia scandal was arrested by the FBI in the United States, the National Prosecuting Authority said on Tuesday. Spokesperson Tlali Tlali said Steven William Goodwin was arrested following a request by the Directorate of Special Operations, better known as the Scorpions.

No image available
/ 30 March 2008

Mann fingers Thatcher in E Guinea plot

A British mercenary awaiting trial in Equatorial Guinea for leading a failed 2004 coup has said the son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was involved in the plot, the public prosecutor said on Sunday. Jose Olo said former British special forces officer Simon Mann had testified that Mark Thatcher knew all about the scheme to overthrow President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

No image available
/ 12 February 2008

Report: Mbeki was told of Selebi graft probe

President Thabo Mbeki failed to take action despite being told South Africa’s police commissioner faced prosecution over his alleged links to organised crime, the Star newspaper reported on Tuesday. The paper quoted an affidavit filed on Monday by Mokotedi Mpshe, the acting head of the National Prosecuting Authority.

No image available
/ 11 February 2008

Doctor arrested over Indian kidney racket

An Indian doctor suspected of being behind a kidney transplant racket was arrested in Nepal on Sunday and paraded before journalists in the capital, Kathmandu. Amit Kumar is accused of running a hospital just outside Delhi which allegedly lured or forced hundreds of poor people into giving up their kidneys.

No image available
/ 1 February 2008

Selebi case postponed to June

Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi was charged with three counts of corruption and one of defeating the ends of justice in the Randburg Regional Court on Friday. He also faced an alternate charge of receiving an unauthorised gratification ”by a person who is party to an employment relation”. The case was postponed to June 26.

No image available
/ 31 January 2008

Selebi ‘taking it on the chin’

It will likely be a short first appearance for police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi in the Randburg Regional Court on Friday, a member of his legal team said. Selebi would be present at the court but it was likely that his case was going to be postponed, advocate Fanus Coetzee said on Thursday.

No image available
/ 15 January 2008

Presidency defends Mbeki action on Selebi

The Presidency on Tuesday defended Thabo Mbeki’s handling of police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi’s case. Addressing reporters at the Union Buildings, Mbeki’s legal adviser, Mojanku Gumbi, said Mbeki acted immediately when he learned that the National Prosecuting Authority was ready to proceed with action against Selebi.

No image available
/ 15 January 2008

NPA: No change in status of Selebi case

There was no change in the status of the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) position on its investigation into police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi, the NPA said on Tuesday. ”There is no change,” said NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali. Selebi is on leave and has resigned his post as head of Interpol.

No image available
/ 14 January 2008

Police move to reassure South Africa

South Africa’s embattled police force on Monday sought to reassure the crime-ridden country after a weekend that saw its police chief placed on extended leave in a widening corruption scandal. The South African Police Service was under intense public scrutiny before it was disclosed last week that Jackie Selebi would face charges of corruption and defeating the course of justice.

No image available
/ 14 January 2008

Charges against Gerrie Nel withdrawn

Charges against Gerrie Nel, the head of the Directorate of Special Operations, or the Scorpions, in Gauteng, were withdrawn in the Pretoria Regional Court on Monday. ”After careful consideration of the evidence in the docket, the decision was made to withdraw the charges,” chief prosecutor Matric Lupondo said during Nel’s brief appearance.

No image available
/ 14 January 2008

Selebi’s lawyers wait for court date

Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi’s legal team were on Monday waiting for a date for a hearing for his application to stop the investigation against him, after last week’s attempt to have it heard urgently failed. ”The judge president must provide a date for a full bench,” said Selebi’s advocate Jaap Cilliers.

No image available
/ 14 January 2008

NPA meets to consider Selebi options

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will meet this week to discuss how to proceed with their case against police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi, a spokesperson said. On Friday Selebi failed to secure an urgent application in the Pretoria High Court to stop the investigation against him.

No image available
/ 13 January 2008

Mbeki appoints acting police commissioner

Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi has been granted an extended leave of absence, President Thabo Mbeki said on Saturday. Speaking at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, Mbeki said Selebi had requested the leave himself. This follows Friday’s revelations by the National Prosecuting Authority that it was ready to charge Selebi with corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering.

No image available
/ 12 January 2008

Selebi quits as Interpol chief

Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi has quit as head of international crime-fighting body Interpol, the organisation said on Sunday. The news follows President Thabo Mbeki’s announcement on Saturday that Selebi, who faces allegations of corruption, fraud, racketeering and defeating the ends of justice, was going on extended leave of absence.

No image available
/ 10 January 2008

Selebi moves to block NPA

Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi’s bid to stop the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) from proceeding with prosecution against him will be heard in the Pretoria High Court on Friday. Selebi has brought an urgent application seeking more information about the charges the NPA intends levelling against him.

No image available
/ 9 January 2008

Nel arrest warrant ‘hazy’, says lawyer

Gerrie Nel, the head of the Directorate of Special Operations in Gauteng — also known as the Scorpions — who was released on bail on Wednesday following his dramatic arrest by police the night before, hopes to be back in his post on Thursday. Nel was arrested at his Pretoria home in front of his wife and children at about on Tuesday night.