Scorpions sting back, Scorpions critics have been dealt a blow

By Deon de Lange

Scorpions critics have been dealt a blow by a top law enforcement official who has laid waste to a number of key reasons from supporters of the ANC decision to disband the crime-busting unit.

Asset Forfeiture Unit boss Willie Hofmeyr, a former ANC MP, told members of a joint sitting of the national assembly's justice and safety committees that much of the criticism levelled at the unit was "simply wrong".

He disclosed on Tuesday - in answer to accusations that the unit was "infested" with apartheid-era spies and former security policemen - that of the 300 investigators currently working for the Scorpions, only nine had served in the former security police.




Of these, three took part in the so-called "Third Force" investigations initiated by the Goldstone Commission.

Various submissions to parliament in public hearings on the Scorpions, officially the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO), have accused the unit of abusing plea-bargain powers by allowing serious criminals off the hook in order to catch lesser offenders.

The case of Mark Thatcher, son of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, has been cited.

Thatcher was handed a four-year suspended sentence and fined £226 000 (R3,1-million) by a South African court in 2005 after a plea bargain with the NPA for his "minor" role in a failed coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea.

Young Communist League national secretary Buti Manamela on Tuesday suggested this was a reflection of the DSO's "racist attitude to dealing with crime".

But Hofmeyr said the Scorpions had had no involvement in this plea arrangement.

He also explained that the NPA's plea bargain guidelines applied to all cases, not only those investigated by the DSO.

It is understood that President Thabo Mbeki himself gave the go-ahead for the deal with Thatcher after being advised that the prosecuting authority was not confident of a conviction against him.

Hofmeyr also batted away suggestions that the DSO "outsourced" much of its work to private security firms, pointing out that most of the work that was done by outside companies related to forensic auditing, spending that he was "happy to defend".

Over the past seven years, the DSO spent less than 5 percent of its budget on forensic auditors. Hofmeyr conceded that this represented a "significant" amount - approximately R15-million per year - but maintained that it was necessary to bring corporate criminals to book.

"If you are not able to spend that kind of money, these prosecutions just won't happen and the people taking our economy and ordinary people for a ride will walk," he said.

Scorpions critics have also questioned the much-publicised "success" of the DSO by suggesting it was, unlike the police, able to "cherry-pick" its cases. In reply, Hofmeyr said the standard set for the entire prosecuting service was indeed to tackle only those cases with a "reasonable" prospect of success.

"The state, due to our limited capacity, is simply not capable of prosecuting more than a few (complex commercial) cases each year and for that reason the DSO has a more careful selection process when it comes to cases that are probably going to cost R10-million to R20-million to prosecute," he explained.

He also said the same principle applied to other law enforcement agencies that investigated commercial crimes, such as those done by the police.

And responding to claims that the DSO protected its own, Hofmeyr said the unit had successfully acted against a number of high ranking DSO officials, including its former deputy chief Geophrey Ledwaba.

"We have taken a great deal of care to make sure we deal with these cases as transparently as possible and in a manner that can be defended. We have been harder than any other institution on this issue," he said.

He also said publicised raids and arrests had been tested in court and that "all this talk about the violation of rights" had been rejected by the courts.

"In fact, some judges have said the public likes to see law enforcement agencies doing their work."

On the accusation of former security policemen and spies in the Scorpions, Hofmeyr said five of nine who were Scorpions had played a "very key role" in the urban terror investigations in the Western Cape on the activities of the discredited People Against Gangsterism and Drugs.

"We do not have any reason to doubt the loyalty of any of these people to the new dispensation. In fact, many of them have taken big risks in their careers and in their own lives to deal with threats to our new democratic order," said Hofmeyr.

Besides, he noted, most former security police members who were still in the civil service were currently in the SAPS.

These members too were committed to the new order, he emphasised.

Deliberations were set to continue on Wednesday.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080910110232752C175894

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Geriatrix said:

Makes no differance what so ever. The anc doesn't want anyone catching more of their top brass so they will remove the scorpions. End of story.

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It is understood that President Thabo Mbeki himself gave the go-ahead for the deal with Thatcher

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timgaul said:

Oooh! They didn't see that one coming, did they?

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timgaul said:

Oooh! They didn't see that one coming, did they?

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Nod said:

Thabo was misquoted or ... ehh ... misunderstood, or something

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Zenbaas said:

So correct me if im wrong but doesn't that make Tbone a racist? As by their own claims it was a racist act to let him off so lightly...?

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JungleBoy said:

Here is curious question. How many of the ANC top brass have been successfully prosecuted by the Scorpions?
JZ and Selebi aside, I cannot recall any other attempts.
Either the Scorpions are pretty ineffective or the ANC top brass are squekey clean, your choice

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JungleBoy said:

Here is curious question. How many of the ANC top brass have been successfully prosecuted by the Scorpions?
JZ and Selebi aside, I cannot recall any other attempts.
Either the Scorpions are pretty ineffective or the ANC top brass are squekey clean, your choice

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JungleBoy said:

Here is curious question. How many of the ANC top brass have been successfully prosecuted by the Scorpions?
JZ and Selebi aside, I cannot recall any other attempts.
Either the Scorpions are pretty ineffective or the ANC top brass are squekey clean, your choice

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JungleBoy said:

Here is curious question. How many of the ANC top brass have been successfully prosecuted by the Scorpions?
JZ and Selebi aside, I cannot recall any other attempts.
Either the Scorpions are pretty ineffective or the ANC top brass are squekey clean, your choice

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Nod said:

With so many supporters willing to die (also known as cannon fodder), they don't need to lift a finger. They simply need to imply something ...

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More than 40 municipalities in three provinces are under investigation for corruption, the Ministry of Provincial and Local Government revealed on Monday in a written response to a Democratic Alliance question.

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Geriatrix said:

You mean appart from Tony and more than half of the Travelgate mps?

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