Mdluli prosecutor shot at

2012-04-30 18:33

Adriaan Basson, City Press

Johannesburg - Suspended anti-corruption prosecutor Glynnis Breytenbach was shot at three weeks ago while driving home.

Breytenbach, who prosecuted crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli until the case was withdrawn by her superiors in December, was suspended by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) this morning.

She told City Press she is convinced the shooting was related to her work.

"I have been followed for some time. It happened late in the evening of April 11 on the N14 while I was driving home. Two shots were fired, but both missed."

Breytenbach said she was still being followed. She reported the shooting to the Hawks.

Force her off the road

Last Wednesday morning two BMW motorcycles tried to force her off the road while she was driving home from the gym.

"A metro police car came by and they backed off," she said.

Breytenbach is the head of the Specialised Commercial Crimes Unit in Pretoria.

Apart from the Mdluli matter, she was also working on the arms deal investigation and on a mining rights case involving Kumba and politically connected Imperial Crown Trading (ICT).

Her lawyer Gerhard Wagenaar confirmed her suspension by acting NPA head Advocate Nomgcobo Jiba on Monday, saying the official reason given by the NPA was that his client allegedly abused her powers in the Kumba fraud case.

Breytenbach was the prosecutor in a case concerning the awarding of mining rights at Sishen to ICT. Kumba subsequently laid a charge of fraud against ICT, and Breytenbach was appointed as prosecutor.

Red herring

ICT's directors and legal representatives subsequently complained to the NPA that Breytenbach was seen as being too close to Kumba and its legal representatives.

Breytenbach denies any wrongdoing.

Her supporters in and outside the NPA believe the Kumba complaint is a red herring and that her persistence to prosecute Mdluli led to her suspension by her bosses in the NPA.

NPA spokesperson Bulelwa Makeke confirmed Breytenbach's suspension. "She has been provided with reasons for her suspension after she was given more than enough time to respond.

"The next step will be an internal disciplinary hearing where all allegations will be addressed substantively."

The NPA denied that Breytenbach's suspension was linked to her insistence that the Mdluli case continued.

Last week, Breytenbach provided Jiba with a memorandum, outlining her reasons why the Mdluli case should never have been withdrawn.

- City Press