No evidence has been found of a conspiracy by senior policemen against sidelined crime intelligence boss Lt-Gen Richard Mdluli‚ the police ministry said on Thursday.
“The task team has found no evidence suggesting that... senior police officials were involved in any kind of conspiracy‚” said ministerial spokesman Zweli Mnisi.
Mdluli had written a letter which alluded to axed police chief Bheki Cele‚ Hawks commander Lt-Gen Anwa Dramat‚ operational services head Lt-Gen Godfrey Lebeya‚ and Gauteng police chief Lt-Gen Mzwandile Petros ganging up against him.
“The allegations were so serious as they further suggested the meddling of policing functions in politics‚” said Mnisi.
Last year‚ Mdluli faced fraud and corruption charges relating to alleged misuse of a crime intelligence fund‚ the purchase of luxury vehicles‚ and the hiring of family members as secret agents.
He also faced charges relating to the murder of the boyfriend of a former girlfriend. These had since been withdrawn.
In May‚ it was announced that Mdluli would shift from police crime intelligence to operational services and that the letter‚ reportedly written to President Jacob Zuma‚ had caused tensions within police management.
At the time‚ Zuma’s office and the presidency denied having received the letter.
In reply to follow up questions‚ Mnisi said the task team’s findings were that the letter was received by former acting national police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi‚ and it had confirmed that neither the president nor the minister received the letter.
On May 11‚ Mthethwa set up a task team led by chief state law adviser Enver Daniels to investigate the claims contained in the letter.
Releasing the findings of the task team‚ Mnisi said: “The conclusion and findings are that the officials accused by Lt-Gen Mdluli of working together against him had acted professionally‚ in good faith‚ and with due care and regard for the sensitivity of the matter.
“Furthermore‚ the team concluded that the source which gave Lt-Gen Mdluli such information could not corroborate its information.” Mnisi did not give the name of the source‚ saying it was immaterial “whether the source was a male or female‚ police or civilian”.
“The matter is closed and we have had a commitment from management that they want to focus their energies on effectively fighting crime‚” he said.
Mdluli is currently not allowed to do police work following an order by the High Court in Pretoria to allow for a review of his suspension and reinstatement‚ and of the withdrawal of the criminal charges.
This followed a court application for the review by lobby group Freedom Under Law.
As a result of the order granted to FUL‚ the Labour Court in Johannesburg stayed a judgment on Mdluli challenging the police’s re-suspension of him pending disciplinary proceedings.
The proceedings themselves had also been postponed. They were supposed to have started on Monday.
Maj-Gen Chris Ngcobo was appointed acting head of crime intelligence last week by new national police commissioner Riah Phiyega until the Mdluli matter was resolved.
