SAPS ‘captured’ by criminal underworld under Selebi, O’Sullivan tells parliament

The late former national police commissionerJackie Selebiknew nothing about policing but knew plenty about corruption. This is according to certified fraud examinerPaul O’Sullivanduring his testimony at the ad hoc committee yesterday, where he said the SAPS was “captured” by the criminal underworld during Selebi’s tenure. Parliament’s ad hoc committee is investigating allegations of corruption within the criminal justice system, originally brought forward by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

In his testimony, O’Sullivan detailed his extensive history with law enforcement, including his years as a police reservist from 1990 to 2002, where he completed detective training. In 2001, he was appointed group executive of aviation security at the Airports Company SA (Acsa). This role granted him statutory rights to amend rules to bolster security.

Additionally, he served as the vice-chairperson of the national aviation security committee (NASC) between 1991 and 1992. Detailing claims of SAPS capture under Selebi, O’Sullivan said the late top cop leveraged his dual roles as national police commissioner and a member of the ANC national executive committee (NEC) to influence amendments to the National Key Points Act. According to O’Sullivan, these changes were designed to ensure that security at national key points fell under direct police control.

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He further alleged that Selebi lobbied the national intelligence coordinating committee (Nicoc) to declare O’Sullivan’s attendance at NASC illegal unless he obtained “top secret” security clearance. “Selebi knew I could not achieve that level of clearance, as I had previously worked for the British government and held multiple passports,” O’Sullivan said. “This led to the termination of my role at ACSA in April 2003.” O’Sullivan said that Selebi also terminated his role as a police reservist in an effort to silence him.

Despite his removal from SAPS and ACSA, O’Sullivan continued to interact with police officials. During this time, he uncovered anallegedly corrupt relationship between Selebi and Glenn Agliotti— a man O’Sullivan had previously arrested in 2001 for smuggling counterfeit clothing.

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