Former intelligence boss Richard Mdluli, along with Mthembeni Mthunzi, was found guilty in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg yesterday of kidnapping and assault. African News Agency (ANA) Former intelligence boss Richard Mdluli, along with Mthembeni Mthunzi, was found guilty in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg yesterday of kidnapping and assault. African News Agency (ANA)
Johannesburg - Disgraced ex-crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli said he did nothing wrong and has no qualms about appearing before the state capture commission of inquiry.
Mdluli appeared in the Johannesburg High Court on Thursday, where sentencing procedures for his kidnapping and assault case were postponed to November.
Referring to the explosive testimony from Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) senior investigator Kobus Roelofse at the state capture inquiry, Mdluli said he would not comment on matters that concerned classified information.
"I can only comment at the right time, such as what I did when I was in office. I briefed Parliament, the inspector general and so on. Those are the areas where one can be able to explain what is happening in that environment," Mdluli told SABC news.
"You do not just go publicly to talk about covert activities affecting the country...I cannot comment on that. I do not have a problem appearing...I can even go tomorrow."
Roelofse told the Judge Ray Zondo-led commission how an investigation into Mdluli and alleged illegal activities at crime intelligence lifted the lid on the looting of the unit's secret bank account. The slush fund was allegedly used as a piggy bank and millions of rands in public funds were used by the former crime boss and other top officials to pay for holidays, buy luxury cars and renovate private properties.
Roelofse said the secret account should legally be used for crime intelligence operations and buying assets when there was a need to.
The funds were reportedly used to pay for Mdluli and his wife's travels between Johannesburg and Cape Town. Some of Mdluli's relatives were also allegedly hired as agents and vehicles purchased for them.
Roelofse also alleged that former crime intelligence CFO Solomon Lazarus used the secret service account to fund travel costs for his family and members of his church. Others who allegedly benefited included Bheki Cele, who was police commissioner at the time, former police minister Nathi Mthethwa and Tiso Blackstar journalist Ranjeni Munusamy.
The high court on Thursday set Mdluli and co-accused Mthembeni Mthunzi's sentencing down for November 7. The pair have been convicted on charges relating to the 1999 kidnapping and assault of Mdluli's former lover's husband. They were found guilty of four counts of intimidation, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of common assault and two counts of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm.
The duo had intimidated, assaulted and kidnapped Mdluli's love rival Oupa Ramogibe. Ramogibe and Tshidi Buthelezi, Mdluli's former lover, secretly married in July 1998.
A year later, Ramogibe was shot dead in a botched robbery.