SAPS probe extended

THE PROBE into police finances has been expanded to cover another 16 months.

This means that SAPS finances over seven years are now being investigated.

Days before Christmas, President Jacob Zuma signed a proclamation giving the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) the power to investigate matters within the police for the extra period from August 2010 to December last year.

SIU investigations must be authorised by presidential proclamation. The initial investigation into police affairs was proclaimed in August 2010.

That gave the unit powers to investigate matters from January 2005 to the date of that proclamation. The new proclamation extends the investigation to December 23, 2011, the date of that proclamation.

In terms of the proclamations, the SIU investigation includes any serious maladministration in the SAPS, improper or unlawful conduct by its employees, unlawful appropriation or expenditure of public resources, unlawful or irregular or improper acquisitions or transactions regarding state property, or intentional or negligent loss of public money.

A key aspect the investigation is expected to cover is the leasing of property for SAPS offices.

The Public Protector has found that leases signed by the SAPS for the Middestad building in Pretoria and the Transnet building in Durban, valued at R1.78 billion, were invalid and that the SAPS’S conduct over this was improper and unlawful.