A heated exchange preceded forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan’s abrupt departure from a parliamentary inquiry into allegations involving KwaZulu-Natal’s police commissioner.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
THE testimony of forensic examiner Paul O’Sullivan before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, came to an abrupt end when he walked out of Thursday's hearing.
O’Sullivan had returned to the committee on Wednesday morning to conclude his testimony, after it had previously been suspended due to his falling ill.
Since the start of Wednesday’s proceedings, he had been engaged in heated exchanges with members of the Ad Hoc committee. O'Sullivan had profusely denied allegations made by MK Party MP David Skosana, who rcalled him “a spy and a thug”.
Testimony of forensic examiner Paul O’Sullivan at Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, came to an abrupt end when he walked out of the hearing.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
“I am not a spy, and I have never been a spy. I have served this country well and faithfully for 36 years,” O'Sullivan said.
When chairperson of the Ad Hoc committee, Soviet Lekganyane, had asked Advocate Bongiwe Mkhize to conclude her questioning of O’Sullivan, she shared that she had only a few questions left.
Throughout Mkhize’s questioning, O’Sullivan repeatedly raised the time and stated that he had to leave the hearing at 1pm as he was going to miss his flight, and would have to carry the financial cost of rescheduling flights.
While Mkhize was wrapping up her questions, O’Sullivan stood up and gathered his things, and started walking out of the proceedings.
EFF leader Julius Malema told him that he should sit down as he had not been dismissed.
MKP’s David Skosana then stood up and told O’Sullivan that they would open a case against him for walking out of the hearing.
“You are walking out,” both Malema and Skosana said, to which O’Sullivan replied, “I am finished”. Malema told O’Sullivan that this decision needed to be made by the committee chair, Lekganyane.
Testimony of forensic examiner Paul O’Sullivan at Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, came to an abrupt end when he walked out of the hearing.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
O’Sullivan continued walking past the members of Parliament and out of the proceedings.
Once he had left the hearing, Lekganyane had members of the committee weigh-in where it was decided that they would get instruction from Parliamentary legal services on how to proceed.
Cape Times