Court excuses top sleuth

PAUL O’SULLIVAN: PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR ABSENT FROM THE DOCK

But he has to appear on June 9 to avoid arrest, in saga of Ipid versus Phahlane.

Awarrant of arrest was issued yesterday morning for private investigator Paul O'Sullivan for being absent at the Magistrate’s Court in Pretoria.

His assistant, attorney Sarah-Jane Trent, appeared alone. She and O’Sullivan were charged with offences including fraud, intimidation and extortion.

Their lawyer, Louis Taljaard, said O’Sullivan was in London to attend his daughter’s first holy communion.

“He made the request and it was indulged. The warrant will not be issued. It will only be issued if he does not appear on June 9, on his next appearance. The issuing of the warrant is held over.”

Trent said two Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) members have now also been charged, along with them, and they will appear in court on May 30. These charges include four counts of contravening the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act.

Ipid directors, including the organisation’s head, Robert McBride, appeared before parliament's police portfolio committee on Tuesday, where they briefed MPs on alleged interference by acting police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane and a North West police investigating team in internal probes.

Phahlane is said to be under investigation for possible contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, relating to more than R1 million in “gratuities” he had allegedly received from a Pretoria car dealer.

McBride earlier assured the police portfolio committee of the body’s independence and made it clear that O’Sullivan had not been hired or tasked with investigating Phahlane, but that he is the complainant in the matter.

According to Trent, there had been further investigations since her arrest. “To be perfectly honest, I think Phahlane can’t give any answers, he can’t answer to parliament and he can’t give answers to the public and he is bringing out all this (the charges) to deflect his guilt,” Trent said.

O’Sullivan is on record saying the evidence he has would send Phahlane to prison, He believed Phahlane was behind his arrest

On Monday, Ipid recommended that Phahlane be suspended to prevent him from interfering in Ipid investigations.