President fires Pikoli
2008-12-08 12:19
Pretoria - President Kgalema Motlanthe has decided against keeping Vusi Pikoli on as National Director of Public Prosecutions.
"I have come to the determination that advocate Pikoli should be relieved of his responsibility as the country's national director of public prosecutions," Motlanthe said at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
Motlanthe said Pikoli's professional competence was not in question.
"However it should be noted that the requisite skills would necessarily include professional competence as well as those outlined by the inquiry, in particular appreciation for, and sensitivity to, matters of national security."
This comes after the release of the Ginwala Inquiry report.
Suspension
Former president Thabo Mbeki suspended Pikoli on September 23 last year, citing a breakdown in relations between Pikoli and former justice minister Brigitte Mabandla.
Pikoli however said it was because his office planned to arrest National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi for corruption. He said Mbeki was shocked when presented with the news that Selebi, who was also the head of Interpol at that time, was about to be arrested.
The inquiry was held in Johannesburg this year, chaired by former speaker of Parliament Frene Ginwala.
Matters that arose during the inquiry included a submission that Pikoli posed a national security threat.
He had to answer for the lack of security accreditation for his officials tasked with searching former deputy president Jacob Zuma's office during investigations against him and that he appeared to ignore a draft report alleging a coup to bring Zuma to power.
The prosecutions authority's entering into plea bargain arrangements with people involved in organised crime was also queried.
Independent
Pikoli also had to defend the line of communication between himself and Mabandla during crucial investigations when he believed that, although he had kept her informed, constitutionally, he could work independently of her when deciding on prosecutions.
Among those who testified were presidency director general Rev Frank Chikane, justice ministry director general Menzi Simelane, national intelligence director general Manela Manzini and senior Scorpions prosecutor Gerrie Nel.
Neither Mbeki nor Mabandla testified, but their correspondence on the Selebi matter formed part of the submissions.
Mbeki was asked to resign by the ruling ANC in September, partly because of a Pietermaritzburg High Court judgment. Judge Chris Nicholson questioned what he considered an inappropriately close relationship between the president, justice ministers and national directors of public prosecution in the long-running investigating into allegations of corruption against Zuma.
Mabandla was among Cabinet ministers who resigned when Mbeki left office.
- SAPA