INLSA
Mmamonnye Ngobeni
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni is off the hook and will not face criminal charges relating to the payment, allegedly by fraud and corruption suspect Thoshan Panday, for her husband’s birthday party.
Yesterday National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Natasha Ramkissoon confirmed that the office of the director of public prosecutions had declined to prosecute owing “to insufficient evidence”.
Late last year, the commissioner was officially informed that she was a suspect and was interviewed in her office by officers from the Hawks.
Several sources – who cannot be named because they were not authorised to speak to the press – said there was not enough evidence to show a direct link between the commissioner and Panday, and that she had done something in return for him.
Approached for comment yesterday, the commissioner said: “I feel very relieved. It has been enormous pressure on me.
“I thank God that this is now over. I don’t want to talk about this matter, not now, not ever.”
Thoshan Panday
INLSA
The Mercury first broke the story regarding Brigadier Lucas Ngobeni’s party in 2010, reporting that 40 guests – many of whom were high-ranking police officers – had enjoyed a R220-a-head buffet dinner, with champagne, wine, whisky and a DJ thrown in.
The celebration was held at The Dish restaurant in Umhlanga in May 2010 and the entire tab was apparently picked up by Panday who, at the time, was a suspect in a R60-million SAPS accommodation tender scam.
Ngobeni, documents show, put a stop to this investigation by ordering an internal inquiry instead.
That decision was reversed by Hawks head General Anwa Dramat.
Documents also suggest that in June that year, Ngobeni held two meetings in her office with Panday and his lawyers, who complained about the manner of the investigation against him.
A source said while the stopping of the investigation could be seen as payback for the party, in court the commissioner could submit that she had thought it best to first do an internal inquiry.
“Statements showed no direct link between herself and Panday.
The tender investigation, which have been on hold for some months because of delays in appointing forensic auditors, is now back on track with the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
In the meantime, Panday and Colonel Navin Madhoe (the head of supply chain management, who is also a suspect in the tender investigation) have been charged with attempting to bribe the Hawks provincial head, Johan Booysen.
They will appear in court again on these charges on March 14.
In a separate civil matter in the Durban High Court, Panday has also challenged the search warrants used to access his bank accounts. Judgment is awaited in this matter.
