NATIONAL PRESS CLUB

The National Press Club has called for an 'urgent investigation' into allegations that the police's Crime Intelligence (CI) Division paid some journalists to write reports to discredit other officers.

The claim is contained in an official document compiled by Colonel Kobus Roelofse of the SAPS anti-corruption task team: Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, dated 2 March 2012.

The document relates to the investigation into Lt-General Richard Mdluli and forms part of an urgent High Court application in an attempt to suspend Mdluli.

It states: "The investigating team have also been informed on 10 October 2011 by the member that on the same evening that he was taken to Major General Lazarus's house he heard them discussing the placement of a newspaper article relating to Lieutenant General Dramat and Major General Sibiya. He stated that  Major General Lazarus wanted to use sources within the media (journalists paid by CI) to write a story in order to take the focus away from them. This according to the member is a strategy employed to cast suspicion on those they perceive to be a threat."

It continues: " This newspaper article was published in the Sunday Times on 23 October 2011 (see one such article here). Lieutenant General Mdluli has made representations to the National Prosecuting Authority earlier that month and uses the above mentioned article to cast suspicion on Lieutenant General Dramat and the investigating team."

National Press Club chairman, Yusuf Abramjee, said: "These allegations are very worrying and very serious. Authorities need to get to the bottom of them as a matter of urgency. We need to get the facts and if there were any payments made as alleged, criminal charges should follow.

"We also call on media houses suspected of being involved to also launch their own investigations," said Abramjee.

Statement issued by National Press Club chairman, Yusuf Abramjee, May 17 2012

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