Parliament, Wednesday, 07 March 2018 – The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services as well as the Portfolio Committee on Police today resolved to call the executive authority to provide clarity on progress and challenges in state capture prosecutions.
This follows a joint meeting today with the head of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the acting head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI/Hawks) to get to the bottom of the matter. The committees resolved to call the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, the Minister of Police and the former Minister of Police as they felt the responses provided were inadequate and did not assist Parliament in its work to restore public perceptions that these entities are operating in the best interests of the country.
Dr Mathole Motshekga, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services, said the intention of today’s meeting was to assist the entities to remove obstacles hampering investigations and prosecutions in the state capture matter. “We wanted to assist to remove them. We are pleased that both the heads of the NPA and DPCI indicated they have a good working relationship. It assures us you can work together.”
“We are, however, concerned about some of the statements made in the meeting where blame as to the delay with prosecutions was shifted from one entity to another. Society already has a perception that the delays in prosecution were deliberate. We wanted to restore the confidence of society in the entity,” said Dr Motshekga.
Mr Francois Beukman, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, said it is also important that the setting up of the coordinating committee by the DPCI be addressed with the minister. “If this committee had been set up, it seems many issues raised in today’s meeting could have been avoided or resolved some time ago. This is a gap that needs urgent attention.”
ISSUED BY PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON JUSTICE AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, DR MATHOLE MOTSHEKGA, AND THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON POLICE, MR FRANCOIS BEUKMAN
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