PAUL O’Sullivan’s former assistant Sarah-Jane Trent appeared before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee where she broke down multiple times during her testimony.
Image: Phando Jikelo/ Parliament RSA
THE hot-seat of Parliament’s ad hoc committee proved overwhelming for forensic fraud examiner Paul O’Sullivan’s former assistant Sarah-Jane Trent who broke down in tears.
Trent was expected to face a grilling over allegations that she and O’Sullivan were involved in the investigations of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).
Former prosecutor of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Advocate Michael Mashuga earlier this week testified the IPID improperly relinquished its core investigative responsibilities to private individuals, specifically O’Sullivan and Trent.
PAUL O’Sullivan’s former assistant Sarah-Jane Trent appeared before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee where she broke down multiple times during her testimony.
Image: Phando Jikelo/ Parliament RSA
Former acting national commissioner Khomotso Phahlane previously told the Ad Hoc Committee that the police watchdog body was infiltrated by O’Sullivan, who has dismissed the claim that they conducted investigations on behalf of the IPID.
Referring to the Phahlane investigation, Mashuga said O’Sullivan and Trent exchanged favours with IPID officials with the interest to remove Phahlane from office. Mashuga also testified about a charge that the IPID Act was contravened when O’Sullivan and Trent presented and acted like IPID investigators when they visited the estate where Phahlane’s house is.
On Thursday, MP’s expressed their concern over what they described as Trent’s “nervousness”.
Trent later broke down when MPs pressed her on the specific regulations that allow Ipid to seek assistance from private organisations.
Trent left the chamber for a few minutes to compose herself.
When questioned about the type of assistance she provided for Ipid, Trent said: “We did…. I did a lot of desktop research and then it would be sort of a file note on media articles or social media things, or go on twitter and see what's happening. And I would then send it.”
Earlier the day O’Sullivan told Parliament that allegations he bullied prosecutors and police officials were part of a broader attempt to discredit him for exposing corruption within South Africa’s criminal justice system.
He was responding to questions from ANC MP Xola Nqola, who labelled him a bully. Nqola said several witnesses who had previously appeared before the committee had presented evidence regarding O’Sullivan’s conduct.
One example, he said, was a video clip played to the committee in which O’Sullivan appeared to threaten Parliament and its members.
The clip, taken from a previous interview with a broadcaster, showed O’Sullivan referring to “those crooks in Parliament”.
Nqola also raised a second issue involving a message O’Sullivan allegedly sent to Cedrick Nkabinde, chief of staff to suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu, while Nkabinde was testifying before the committee.
“After you staged a walkout, General Phahlane reiterated that you have constantly sent him threatening and insulting messages,” Nqola said.
“You just bully people and threaten them,” Nqola said.
O’Sullivan said his conduct should be understood in the context of what he described as unlawful actions taken against him by police and prosecutors.
“It might be seen as bullying on my part, but it needs to be taken in the context of the unlawful conduct of those people against me,” he said.
O’Sullivan alleged that he had been dragged off a plane in front of his minor children, assaulted, detained and tortured for three days, and subjected to repeated raids on his offices.
He said he had been forced to stand trial in six cases he described as “trumped-up”, adding that he had been acquitted in four of them.
“I had to spend 88 days in court and 140 days preparing for those 88 days,” he said.
O’Sullivan also claimed he had moved his family abroad for their safety.
Cape Times