State Prosecutor Drushantha Ramsamy has told the Madlanga Commission about an unusual sequence involving Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, the Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI) and the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC).
Ramsamy said the IGI had previously declined to hand over a report to IDAC, despite arrangements between the two institutions allowing information to be exchanged from completed investigations. She testified that suspended IDAC chief investigator Dylan Perumal later informed investigators that Mchunu had become involved in obtaining the document.
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“In September, Perumal told us that Mchunu, arranged with someone to fly to him in the Eastern Cape and provide the IGI report,” Ramsamy said. She said the report was subsequently handled outside the usual institutional process, which required specific procedures to be followed before sensitive information could be shared.
Madlanga Commission Hears Of Mchunu’s Role In IGI Report Transfer
Ramsamy said IDAC had previously met with the IGI to request access to the report. However, the meeting did not result in the investigators obtaining the information they had sought.
“It was a fruitless meeting. They could not assist us and we could not assist them,” Ramsamy said. She explained that IDAC had approached the IGI because the two institutions normally exchange information relating to investigations that have been finalised.
The IGI investigation at the centre of the dispute, however, had not yet been concluded. As a result, Ramsamy said the usual information-sharing arrangement could not be applied in that case.
IGI Crime Intelligence Report Described As ‘Golden’ By Investigators
The IGI report dealt with an investigation into Crime Intelligence and was regarded by Perumal as particularly important to IDAC’s work. Ramsamy said Perumal had referred to the document as “golden” because of its potential relevance to the case involving Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo and other senior officials.
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The report therefore became a key point of interest for IDAC investigators. Ramsamy’s testimony focused on how the document was eventually made available after the IGI had initially refused the request.
“There are certain procedures and processes that have to be followed before the sharing of that information,” Ramsamy said. The circumstances surrounding the report’s transfer were presented during her evidence to the commission.
Ramsamy Details Separate Khumalo Case Enrolment
Ramsamy also gave evidence about a separate case involving Khumalo that was enrolled in court while she was on sick leave. She said the matter proceeded before she had completed her assessment of the docket.
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“In June, I had read the docket, and I found that there were no merits for enrolment,” she said. Ramsamy added that she had found no prima facie evidence in the matter at the time.
Ramsamy is expected to return to the witness stand on Friday. Her evidence forms part of the Madlanga Commission’s ongoing examination of allegations involving policing and the criminal justice system.
