SIU STATEMENT ON DELAYS IN PROSECUTING GAUTENG DOH CORRUPTION

Date: 09 April 2019

TIME-LINES: INVESTIGATION

The articles suggests that the investigation by the SIU is still in progress nine years later. This is incorrect, the investigation was completed in 2016 with the Report submitted to the President in March 2017 as required by our Act. During the investigation, all matters were already referred to the NPA and AFU and the SIU formed part of the Anti Corruption Task Team (ACTT) investigating the matter. Hence there is reference to the NPA in the said article.

OUTCOMES:

Referrals were made to the NPA for corruption, fraud and theft. Referrals were also made to the AFU, which led to two forfeiture orders obtained. One of the Forfeiture orders led to the state saving more than R800 million. Various referrals for disciplinary action to be taken were also made, of which three were concluded during 2012 and three senior officials were dismissed from the Public Service. The Presidential Report details all the outcomes of the SIU investigation. Section 27 applied in terms of PAJA, to the President for the SIU Report. The President made the Report available. Mr Bloom can thus be directed to refer to the outcomes as noted in the Report.

We also wish to advise that there is no further investigation being conducted by the SIU.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

During the investigation, SIU used services of a Chartered Accountant and an IT Specialist. We also obtained the services of 12 specialist procurement investigators, to investigate the matter, due to the size and complexity of the investigation. Some of the challenges faced was that the NPA and ACTT did not finalise the investigation in terms of the standards set by the Prosecutor and thus no further action was being taken by the NPA and ACTT team. As far as we are aware, there is no investigator that is assigned to this matter and we have not been able to obtain any further input regarding outcomes from our referrals. Our Head of the Unit is liaising with the Head of the NPA Adv Batohi in this regard.

The NPA and ACTT should be able to assist you to answer any further questions related to the progress of the investigations.

Please publish the SIU's response to your readers so that they are duly informed of the above facts.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if the need arises.

Issued by Nazreen Pandor, SIU Stakeholder Management and Communications Department, 9 April 2019