220719w- News -Johannesburg- Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane at the constituional court,the highest court in the land has ruled that Mkhwebane put falsehoods, her investigation was flawed in the Bank/korp Absa investigation – Photo: Felix Dlangamandla / Netwerk24 / Christiaan du Plessis
Civil Society group lays criminal charges against Public Protector
The criminal complaint was laid by Accountability Now director Paul Hoffman.
220719w- News -Johannesburg- Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane at the constituional court,the highest court in the land has ruled that Mkhwebane put falsehoods, her investigation was flawed in the Bank/korp Absa investigation – Photo: Felix Dlangamandla / Netwerk24 / Christiaan du Plessis
The Public Protector is accused of perjury by civil society group, Accountability Now which has also confirmed that it has opened a criminal case against the Busisiwe Mkhwebane.
The Non-Government Organisation has accused Mkhwebane of defeating the ends of justice. Mkhwebane is currently facing three judicial reviews; a probe to have her struck off the roll of advocates, an inquiry by Parliament into her accountability to hold office, and additional criminal charges laid by Accountability Now.
Who laid the criminal charges against the Public Protector?
The criminal complaint was laid by Accountability Now director Paul Hoffman and this is in connection to one of her findings in the ABSA-Reserve Bank matter that she lost in the Constitutional Court last week.
Hoffman said in a statement on Tuesday that the criminal complaint will be investigated by the Hawks, while the complaint against Mkhwebane will have to be investigated by her deputy as she cannot investigate herself.
“We have laid criminal charges with SAPS. The charges are perjury and defeating the ends of justice. They both arise out of the findings of the Constitutional Court. It’s up to the NPA to decide whether a charge of perjury is sufficient. It’s also considerable that they will read into the findings that have been made, an attempt by her to defeat the ends of justice.”
Paul Hoffman, Accountability Now director
Legal Practice Council deliberation
The Legal Practice Council (LPC) of South Africa delivered a judgement on Mkhwebane’s competence on Friday the deliberation stems from a number of courtroom defeats for the Public Protector, the most damaging being the Constitutional Court judgement which found the Public Protector to have been “dishonest” in her investigations.
Hoffman further elaborated in his affidavit, submitted to the South African Police Service, that the criminal charges are coming from the same Constitutional Court judgment. Which found Mkhwebane to be dishonest in her conduct in the calamity; involving an investigation into the apartheid-era loan by the SA Reserve Bank to Bankorp, which is now part of Absa.
Mkhwebane is facing a few battles right now with her legal costs also being at the top of the list, there also seems to be crowd-funding campaign efforts.
