NPA denies Mdluli, Breytenbach link

NPA denies Mdluli, Breytenbach link
2012-02-03 13:18


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Johannesburg - The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has denied a link between the possible suspension of prosecutor Glynnis Breytenbach and the dropping of charges against suspended crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli.

"It has nothing to do with that at all," NPA spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga said on Friday.

He confirmed that Breytenbach, a deputy director of public prosecutions, had worked on a fraud case against Mdluli, who is the suspended head of police crime intelligence.

Mdluli had been facing two separate unrelated cases of fraud and murder.

The fraud case involved allegations around the purchase of two vehicles for his department and payments from a witness protection fund.

No reasons given

The case against him and co-accused Heine Barnard, who worked in witness protection, was withdrawn last December with no reasons given immediately.

Mhaga said that this was because of a lack of evidence.

The murder case relates to an accusation that he, Lieutenant Colonel Mtunzi-Omhle Mthembeni Mtunzi, court orderly Samuel Dlomo, and Colonel Nkosana Sebastian Ximba, were involved in the killing of Oupa Ramogibe in 1999 in an apparent love triangle.

On Thursday, the NPA announced that instead of Mdluli starting his murder trial on April 10 this year, the charges against him and his co-accused would be provisionally withdrawn and an inquest held instead.

This followed a representation by Mdluli's legal team. The NPA would not discuss details of the representation.

Depending on the outcome of the inquest, they might reconsider their decision to provisionally withdraw the charges, Mhaga said.

The date and venue of the inquest would be arranged between a chief magistrate and all the parties involved.

Mhaga said the NPA would not entertain questions relating to reports that Breytenbach was told to stop work on a fraud investigation, which turned on mining company Imperial Crown Trading allegedly falsifying their prospecting licence in a dispute with Kumba Resources.

Breytenbach carried on with the investigation regardless of the order, it was reported.


- SAPA

Read more on: npa | richard mdluli | glynnis breytenbach

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Charges to be dropped, no trial for Mdluli
2012-02-02 22:49




Related LinksNo firm evidence against Mdluli - Hawks
Arms deal prosecutor 'not yet suspended'
Mdluli linked to more murder, kidnap cases


Johannesburg - The appropriate way to deal with the murder charges against suspended crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli is through a formal inquest and not a trial, the national prosecuting authority (NPA) said on Thursday.

Charges against him would be formally withdrawn on April 10 when the trial was supposed to start, said NPA spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga.

"The appropriate decision to make at this stage is to provisionally withdraw the charges until the outcome of the inquest proceedings.

South Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions Andrew Chauke made the decision to conduct an inquest on receipt of representation from Mdluli's lawyers, said Mhaga.

"Unfortunately, representations made by the accused are without prejudice which means we maintain confidentiality at all costs hence we are not at liberty to disclose contents of their representations," he said.

Charges against Mdluli's co-accused, court orderly Samuel Dlomo, 49, Colonel Nkosana Sebastian Ximba, 38, and Lieutenant Colonel Mtunzi-Omhle Mthembeni Mtunzi, 52, would also be withdrawn.

They were all charged with intimidation, three counts of kidnapping, two counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder.

Mdluli faced an additional charge of defeating or obstructing the course of justice.

The trial was supposed to start on April 10 and end on May 13.


- SAPA

Read more on: npa | richard mdluli | johannesburg
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Mdluli linked to more murder, kidnap cases
2011-10-19 09:12

Related LinksPolice chief faces suspension
Mdluli faces fraud, corruption charges
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Johannesburg - A number of murder and kidnapping cases linked to suspended crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli are being investigated, some for the first time, according to a report on Wednesday.

Included in the new investigations were the disappearance of people believed to be crime intelligence informants from Vosloorus on the East Rand more than 13 years ago, the Times newspaper reported.

According to the newspaper a senior Hawks team had been ordered to probe the involvement of Mdluli and one of his co-accused in the murder case, Colonel Nkosana Ximba.

Over the past few months investigators had been gathering evidence and compiling dockets, including taking statements from families of the missing people, victims and police officers who worked with Mdluli and Ximba when they were stationed in Vosloorus.

One of the cases being investigated was the disappearance of two men from their homes in Vosloorus in 1998.

Lunga Khumalo and Thulani Shoba, aged 21 and 24 respectively at the time, were last seen by relatives when Ximba allegedly picked them up from their homes in a police car. Their families had been pleading for help in finding their sons for years, to no avail.

Unnamed "sources close to the investigations" were quoted as saying that it was "a matter of time" before more criminal activity was uncovered.

Mdluli and three others were expected to go on trial in the High Court in Johannesburg in April next year on charges of intimidation, kidnapping, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder.

They are accused of involvement in a decade-old love triangle murder. Mdluli faces an additional charge of defeating or obstructing the course of justice.


- SAPA

Read more on: police | richard mdluli | crime
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Mdluli faces fraud, corruption charges
2011-09-22 12:17




Read more stories about
Richard Mdluli
NPA denies Mdluli, Breytenbach link - 03 Feb
Charges to be dropped, no trial for Mdluli - 02 Feb
Arms deal prosecutor 'not yet suspended' - 02 Feb
Arms deal prosecutor suspended - 02 Feb
Police mum on 'destroyed evidence' - 25 Jan
Crime boss Mdluli's charges withdrawn - 14 Dec
Mdluli to appear on fraud charges - 14 Dec
No firm evidence against Mdluli - Hawks - 19 Oct
Mdluli linked to more murder, kidnap cases - 19 Oct


Johannesburg - Suspended Crime Intelligence boss Richard Mdluli handed himself over to authorities and appeared in the Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria, the Hawks said on Thursday.

"He appeared on fraud and corruption charges... yesterday [Wednesday]," spokesperson McIntosh Polela told Sapa.

"The charges relate to the purchase of two vehicles for the Crime Intelligence Unit."

Mdluli was released on a warning and his case postponed to December 14.

Polela could not provide further details of the case.

Salaries, houses for girlfriends

The Star reported that Mdluli allegedly used money from the unit's witness protection fund to pay salaries and buy houses and cars for girlfriends and their relatives as well as his own relatives, who had been registered as covert intelligence operatives.

In one case, investigators found that a Cape Town woman, who they reportedly confirmed as his girlfriend, was registered as an intelligence operative and paid at least R18 000 a month. The girlfriend's cousin and brother were also allegedly employed by crime intelligence and earned R8 000 a month, the newspaper reported.

In March, Mdluli appeared in the Boksburg Magistrate's Court in connection with a 1999 love triangle murder and was released on R20 000 bail.

He and three others were implicated in killing his ex-lover's husband and at the time, Mdluli was the station commissioner at the Vosloorus police station.

They are charged with intimidation, three counts of kidnapping, two counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder.

Conspiracy against him

Mdluli, a lieutenant general ranked one below police commissioner General Bheki Cele, faces an additional charge of defeating and obstructing the course of justice.

In his bail application, he argued the charges against him were fabricated as a result of a conspiracy against him by two senior police officials who tried to derail his promotion.

Mdluli said people were trying to get rid of him because former president Thabo Mbeki's camp was trying to take over police intelligence ahead of the 2012 ANC elective conference.

Mdluli and his co-accused are due back in court next Friday.

His lawyer Ike Motloung refused to comment.



- SAPA

Read more on: police | richard mdluli | crime | corruption