Arrest warrant issued for ex-crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli after court no-show

A warrant of arrest has been issued against convicted former crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli after he failed to appear before the Pretoria High Court on Thursday for his fraud case related to allegations of gross abuse of the police intelligence slush fund.

Mdluli was expected to appear in court along with his two co-accused and former colleagues facing charges of corruption, fraud and theft.

Mdluli is currently serving a five-year jail term for kidnapping and assaulting Oupa Ramogibe in 1999, and has also been found guilty of other unrelated charges of kidnapping and assault.

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According to the National Prosecuting Authority’s investigative directorate (ID), co-accused Heine Barnard and Solomon Lazarus did appear in court.

Barnard also faces an additional charge of defeating the ends of justice.

ID spokesperson Sindisiwe Twala said Judge Bert Bam had ruled that Mdluli was ordered to appear in court, and a request letter had been sent to the Department of Correctional Services to bring him to court from prison.

The judge also stated that there was no reason why Mdluli could not appear in court on Thursday.

The trio face charges related to allegations of gross abuse of the police intelligence slush fund, including private luxury trips to China and Singapore, private use of witness protection houses, and the leasing out of Mdluli’s private residence to the state in order to pay his bond.

The matter was postponed to next Friday for the setting of a trial date.

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