NDPP interviews: Johnson’s almost two-decade old decision returns to haunt her

A decision made by National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Investigating Directorate head Advocate Andrea Johnson almost two decades ago has come back to haunt her.

On Wednesday, Johnson was interviewed as one of six candidates vying for the position of National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP).

The advisory panel brought up her involvement in an interview process for a job that her husband was shortlisted for in 2007.

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Out of 281 public comments submitted on all the candidatescontending for the job of NPA boss, 209 were about Advocate Andrea Johnson and 208 of those were objections to her appointment.

These were largely based on her involvement in an interview process for a job that her husband, Junaid Johnson, was shortlisted for in the Scorpions in 2007.

This was first revealed recently before Parliament’s ad hoc committee that is currently investigating alleged corruption in the country's criminaljustice system.

“This was an error of judgment. I'm not going to change it; I can't take it away. This panel will have to [impose] judgement on my entire performance, my history in the NPA, where I have faltered,” explained Johnson.

While some of the panellists felt that Johnson was downplaying a gross irregularity, she told them that in hindsight, she realised that she should have acted differently.

Meanwhile, the advisory panel’s chair, Minister of Justice Mmamoloko Kubayi, also pointed out discrepancies in Johnson’s CV, particularly around the dates of the positions she has held within the NPA.