Ex-crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli returns to court for corruption case

The fraud and corruption case involving former South African Police Service (Saps) crime intelligence boss, Richard Mdluli, and his two co-accused returns to the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday.

Mdluli, former Saps supply chain manager Heine Barnard and former chief financial officer of the State Security Agency, Solomon Lazarus, face charges of corruption, fraud and theft.

The charges relate 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 to allegedly pay his bond.

The alleged crimes were committed between 2008 and 2012 when the trio was at the helm of the police crime intelligence services.

State legal funding denied

During Wednesday’s proceedings, the high court is expected to hear an application brought by the state in terms of section 342A of the Criminal Procedure Act for unreasonable delay in the corruption trial.

ALSO READ: State legal funding denied for Richard Mdluli

This comes after Mdluli notified the court in February of his intention to take Saps’ decision declining funding for his legal costs on legal review.

The former crime intelligence boss wanted the state to pay for his legal fees because the charges he faces pertain to when Saps still employed him.

Kidnapping and assault conviction

Meanwhile, Mdluli is currently serving a five-year sentence for his September 2020 conviction on kidnapping and assault charges which dated back to 1999.

Mdluli and his accomplice Mthembeni Mthunzi were convicted on two counts of kidnapping, two counts of common assault, and two counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm in connection with the kidnapping and assault of Oupa Ramogibe.

Compiled by Thapelo Lekabe

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