Suspended NPA official set to quit

NEWS 24

Johannesburg - The NPA's suspended integrity management unit (IMU) head Prince Mokotedi plans to resign on 1 August, the prosecuting authority said on Wednesday.

"I can confirm that he has not resigned. He had informed the NDPP [National Director of Public Prosecutions] in June and he did again yesterday [Tuesday] that he intends submitting a letter of resignation this Friday, August 1," said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Nathi Mncube.

"He says he wants to pursue his interests in ministry as he is an ordained pastor."

Mncube could not say when Mokotedi was due to appear for his disciplinary hearing.

Breytenbach document

Last month, Mokotedi was suspended after a document on former prosecutor Glynnis Breytenbach was leaked to the media.

At the time, The Star reported that a final report by the IMU recommended that Breytenbach be criminally charged for corruption, misconduct, conflict of interest, fraud, and racketeering.

In the unit's report, Breytenbach is accused of soliciting a loan of $1m (about R11m) from businessman Nathan Kirsh, a complainant in two cases she was prosecuting.

Breytenbach is also accused of accepting a R6.3m donation from Kirsh through the FW de Klerk Foundation towards legal fees in her labour dispute with the NPA.

In April 2012, Breytenbach was suspended from the NPA and later faced a lengthy disciplinary hearing on 15 charges, which included failing to act impartially while investigating the Kumba Iron Ore Sishen and Imperial Crown Trading mining rights issue.

She was accused of "improper relations" with Sishen's lawyer Mike Hellens. Breytenbach countered that this was related to her opposition to a decision to withdraw fraud and corruption charges against former police crime intelligence head Richard Mdluli.

In May last year, a NPA disciplinary hearing found her not guilty on all the charges and she was allowed to return to work, only to find she was to be transferred.

In the Labour Court, Breytenbach unsuccessfully applied to have her transfer overturned. Breytenbach left the NPA to join the Democratic Alliance as an MP.

Mokotedi informed the NPA that he had nothing to do with the leaking of the document, said Mncube.