Friend or foe? Paul O' Sullivan set to testify in Parliamentary probe into alleged corruption

Forensic investigator and anti-corruption activist Paul O’Sullivan will appear before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee this morning.

O’Sullivan has been at the centre of opposing the basis of the allegations set out by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi on July 6 last year.

He has been a somewhat isolated voice, calling for probes into Mkhwanazi, National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola and Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo, citing cases of alleged corruption and collusion against them.

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O’Sullivan believes the axe was about to fall on Masemola and Khumalo following findings contained in the Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI) report, which suggested that Masemola should face disciplinary charges for approving the purchase of properties worth more than R120 million by Crime Intelligence.

His theory is that Mkhwanazi was forced to change the narrative during the July 6 briefing to divert attention away from the impending arrest of his close ally, Masemola and possibly himself.

In his most recent book, Stop Me If You Can, O’Sullivan details how Mkhwanazi and Masemola are at the centre of a probe regarding Louis Vuitton bags they allegedly received from a service provider in 2016, which were not declared.

EWN understands that a report titled I-View 3 was initially investigated by IPID, but it remains unclear where the investigation currently stands.

Masemola, Mkhwanazi and Khumalo are widely regarded as allies, having all started their policing careers in KwaZulu-Natal.

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O’Sullivan, meanwhile, is believed to have close ties to suspended Deputy National Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, although he claims to “have never met him socially.”

While he is most notably credited with the 2010 conviction of former National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi, O’Sullivan has been accused of being a foreign agent and of using his skill set to influence the NPA, IDAC and IPID, allegations he denies.

In 2002, Selebi fired O’Sullivan from the SAPS, setting in motion a tit-for-tat battle that would play out over the next eight years, culminating in Selebi being sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.

O’Sullivan is currently embroiled in a R10 million defamation counter-lawsuit against Mkhwanazi, who has accused him of having improper influence over IPID.