|
Pikoli gets 'bizarre' proposal
27/04/2008 11:01 - (SA)
Johannesburg - The presidency has launched an 11th-hour bid to prevent embarrassing confidential information behind the suspension of national prosecuting authority boss Vusi Pikoli from being made public, the Sunday Independent reported.
Sources told the newspaper that hours before Pikoli was to release documents detailing what he told President Thabo Mbeki and others about Jackie Selebi's alleged corruption, he received a settlement offer from government.
The offer, which presidency spokesperson Mukoni Ratshitanga was unable to confirm or comment upon, proposed that Mbeki might consider lifting Pikoli's suspension in exchange for his agreement to resign.
A source told the Sunday Independent it was highly unlikely that Pikoli -who says he was suspended because of his and the Scorpions' refusal to end their probe into Selebi' affairs - would accept the "bizarre" proposal.
Pikoli's lawyers Deneys Reitz confirmed in a statement on Friday that Pikoli would not "at this stage" make public his submissions to the Ginwala Commission.
The Independent Newspaper group has requested the commission to make all submissions available to them. Its request was denied.
The commission said parties were to "decide on their own" whether to open their submissions to public scrutiny or not.
Mbeki suspended Pikoli on September 24 and the former speaker of the National Assembly, Frene Ginwala, was appointed on September 28 to head the inquiry.
Mbeki cited a breakdown of the relationship between Pikoli and Justice Minister Brigitte Mabandla as the reason for the NPA head's suspension.
The commission's terms of reference cover two broad areas, namely Pikoli's fitness to hold office and the working relationship between Pikoli and Mabandla.
At the end of the inquiry, Ginwala will submit a report to Mbeki who will decide how and when he will make the findings public.
|
News
