Sascoc boss Reddy fights back
month so investigators could finecomb digital data from a desktop computer‚ laptops and the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) server.
Reddy was suspended on full pay a month ago pending the outcome of the probe‚ which was supposed to have been concluded by this past Friday.
He has been accused of sexual harassment by a female employee‚ although other charges are also in the mix.
Norton Rose Fulbright SA‚ the law firm handling the investigation into what it called alleged acts of misconduct‚ on Wednesday asked Reddy’s lawyer if they objected to the inquiry being extended until August 31.
Dev Maharaj responded saying Reddy agreed to a “final” extension‚ but warned his client intended returning to work on September 1 if the investigation was not finished by then.
In a letter to Maharaj‚ Murray Alexander‚ a director at the firm‚ said it had taken over the probe as a result of the delay by the previous investigator.
“The investigation team has conducted a digital sweep of several laptops used by Sascoc employees and is in the process of reviewing the corpus of the data harvested.
“Interviews with IT contractors to Sascoc have been concluded with more interviews scheduled over the upcoming weeks‚” he wrote.
“Further Sascoc offices have also been swept for any additional rogue recording devices – there were none.
“You will appreciate that the data harvested from a desktop‚ four laptops and the Sascoc server is considerable.”
In his response‚ Maharaj said the probe was taking too long.
“The investigations into the allegations against our client ought to have been concluded ages ago and your [trawling] through data from his desktop is nothing more than a witch-hunt against our client by those persons ... bent to achieve his removal from office.”
Maharaj said “it ought to have been a relatively easy process to have secured the necessary evidence against him had there been any substance in the allegations against our client specially those relating to sexual harassment”.
“We reiterate that despite repeated requests to be provided with such evidence in substantiation of the claims‚ no such evidence was forthcoming‚ even by the erstwhile investigator.”
He said Reddy would not entertain further delays and would return to work on September 1 if the probe was not complete by then.
Maharaj warned further that if Sascoc objected to his client returning to work‚ Reddy would approach the labour court to have his suspension set aside “as he is suffering reputational damage on account of his ongoing suspension”. — DDC