The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption’s (IDAC) Chief investigator, Dylan Perumal, the senior investigator Brian Padayachee and investigator Suneel Bellochun have been suspended.
The suspension was announced during a media briefing held on Thursday by the Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi.
The Minister held the briefing alongside the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Advocate Andy Mothibi, where they outlined the government’s plans to stabilise IDAC) following the resignation of its former head, Advocate Andrea Johnson.
The briefing comes just days after President Cyril Ramaphosa accepted Johnson’s request to vacate her position with immediate effect following a recommendation by Minister Kubayi and NDPP Andy Mothibi.
Johnson resigned after weeks of intense scrutiny over her testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which is investigating allegations of corruption and interference within the criminal justice system.
During her appearance, she faced sustained questioning over IDAC’s investigations into senior Crime Intelligence officials and made several concessions under cross-examination, including withdrawing remarks she had made about Brigadier Dineo Mokwele’s appointment and acknowledging that IDAC had no legal basis to investigate Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo in one matter.
In her resignation letter, Johnson said the sustained attacks against her and the controversy surrounding her leadership had become a reputational risk to both IDAC and the NPA. She requested that her contractual three-month notice period be waived, saying that stepping down immediately would best serve the institutions and the country.
Johnson, a prosecutor with about three decades of experience, previously served in the Scorpions before taking over the Investigating Directorate in 2022 following the departure of Advocate Hermione Cronje. After the unit was made permanent, it became the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption, with Johnson leading several high-profile corruption investigations.
Despite her resignation, the Madlanga Commission’s inquiry into issues arising from her conduct and testimony continues, while the government has sought to reassure the public that IDAC’s ongoing investigations and prosecutions will not be disrupted during the transition.
sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za
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