DA: Kohler Barnard not conflicted & doesn’t have to recuse herself from Parly's police corruption inquiry

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said its member of Parliament (MP), Dianne Kohler Barnard, wasn’t conflicted and doesn’t have to recuse herself from Parliament's police corruption inquiry, according to the party's own legal advice.

Political parties like the African National Congress (ANC) and uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party had earlier called for Kohler Barnard's recusal from the ad hoc committee inquiry investigating police corruption after KwaZulu-Natal top cop Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi accused her of mishandling classified intelligence information.

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Mkhwanazi told the inquiry last week that Kohler Barnard broke her oath of office as an MP after she shared sensitive information related to Crime Intelligence spending.

The committee met on Wednesday night to finalise its preparations for its list of witnesses.

"The conclusion reached by the independent counsel from the Cape Town Bar, Michael Bishop, is that there’s no factual basis to conclude that Kohler Barnard is biased, conflicted or otherwise and cannot participate in the ad hoc committee," said DA MP and committee member Glynnis Breytenbach.

But the ANC’s Khusela Diko said the committee must rely on Parliament’s legal advice.

"The DA opinion is nice to have. It’s good to see that the DA has sought an opinion, but it’s not binding on the committee."