Bid to postpone Selebi's imprisonment

2011-12-05 08:14

Johannesburg - Convicted top cop Jackie Selebi's lawyers were expected to ask the South Gauteng High Court on Monday to postpone his imprisonment, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said.

"They approached our prosecutors on Saturday and informed them of what they plan to [do], that he may not be able to present himself to correctional services on Sunday, but we told them to approach the registrar as prosecutors are not involved in that process," NPA spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga said on Monday morning.

Selebi reportedly collapsed on Friday after losing his case in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).

The SCA agreed with the South Gauteng High Court's finding that Selebi had received payments from convicted drug trafficker Glenn Agliotti.

'Critical'

Selebi had to report to authorities within 48 hours to start his 15-year jail term, but was granted a reprieve on Sunday because of a medical condition.

Selebi's lawyer, Wynanda Coetzee, told Beeld newspaper she visited him in hospital on Saturday evening, but due to the seriousness of his illness, he was unable to give her instructions on how to handle his case. Coetzee said Selebi was "really, very, very critical".

She confirmed his lawyers would approach the registrar of the High Court on Monday.

"If the order is that he must go to jail, then that will happen," she told the Afrikaans daily.

Asset Forfeiture Unit head Willie Hofmeyr told SABC radio news that the money paid to Selebi amounted to about R165 000.

"We've already obtained a confiscation order. We are waiting for the finalisation of the appeals and then that money will be payable... Our law entitles us to adjust those to inflation so the total order we obtained [was] for about R230 000," Hofmeyr told the broadcaster.

Selebi also needs to pay back his legal costs to the state. According to Business Day newspaper, that amount is estimated to be between R15m and R17m.
 

- SAPA