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O’Sullivan probed police commissioner, Hawks boss before arrest

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Paul O’Sullivan. Picture: Cornel van Heerden
Paul O’Sullivan. Picture: Cornel van Heerden

Private forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan, who is currently in the Kempton Park Magistrates’ Court after his dramatic arrest at OR Tambo International Airport on Friday, had previously laid criminal complaints against the South African Police Service’s highest-ranked officers. 

O’Sullivan has, since 2014, laid several charges of corruption, fraud, racketeering and defeating the ends of justice against acting police commissioner Kgomotso Phahlane, detectives boss Vinesh Moonoo and Hawks head Berning Ntlemeza. 

Rapport, City Press’ sister paper, has obtained the police Crime Administration System (CAS) numbers and related affidavits for the complaints against the senior police officials. 

The complaints against Moonoo were lodged at the Linden and Randburg police stations in 2014 and 2015 and, among other issues, relate to Moonoo’s alleged ties to known members of South Africa’s criminal underworld. 

In February this year, O’ Sullivan also laid a complaint of corruption, money laundering and racketeering at the Sandton SAPS against Phahlane. The complaint in part relates to an all-expenses-paid holiday that Phahlane enjoyed in 2011, allegedly paid for by a SAPS contractor. Phahlane was then the head of the police’s forensic unit. 

On Thursday, only a day before his arrest on board an SAA plane bound for London, O’Sullivan also emailed the Independent Police Investigation Directorate, asking it to charge Ntlemeza with perjury and defeating the ends of justice. This request related to the Helen Suzman Foundation’s ongoing court case to have Ntlemeza’s appointment as Hawks boss set aside. 

Rapport has obtained the names of some of the officers who were part of the group of 11 law enforcement officials who stormed on to the plane on Friday evening to apprehend O’ Sullivan. They are members of Moonoo’s National Investigation Unit. 

O’Sullivan was accused of contravening the South African Citizens Act.

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