Now it’s my turn, O’Sullivan warns his former tormentors

“To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose (turn, turn, turn),” go the lyrics to the 1965 song by The Byrds, and for forensic consultant Paul O’Sullivan, his time is now as he chases down his former tormentors, starting with the cops who yanked him off a plane in 2016 in front of his children – something he still fumes about.

“The wind has changed direction, and now it’s my turn” said O’Sullivan yesterday outside the Randburg Magistrate’s Court.

Warrant Officer Jacobus Vlok had just been remanded to August 12 for disclosure of the State’s docket against him, which includes charges of extortion and defeating the ends of justice, after being subpoenaed to court.

Vlok is being represented by advocate Jaap Cilliers, who stated in court he had been appointed by the Office of the State Attorney to represent Vlok.

Cilliers’s appointment is a less than subtle dig at O’Sullivan: Cilliers represented disgraced national police commissioner Jackie Selebi, and it’s just two weeks shy of nine years since Selebi was convicted of corruption thanks in part to O’Sullivan.

“I’m not going to let one of them off the hook, this is just the first of many who are going to stand trial for what they’ve done over the past few years,” O’Sullivan said.

“Everything which has happened to me flows from when Selebi was convicted.”

On April 1, 2016, O’Sullivan became the first person in the country ever to be arrested for leaving the country under a passport other than his South African passport.

No other person since has made the headlines over a similar infraction.

The seven cases the National Prosecuting Authority launched at O’Sullivan based on cases the NPA built by going after people who had been on the receiving end of what they may have felt was a particularly bellicose interrogation by the Irishman, all failed.

Aside from the cases mentioned above, O’Sullivan also has a near R157 million claim lodged in the Johannesburg High Court against the office of the National Director of Public Prosecutions, the justice and police ministers, prosecutor Jabulani Mlotshwa, former Gauteng Hawks boss Major General Prince Mokotedi, Vlok, former head of detectives Vinesh Monoo, former SAA chair Dudu Myeni, former NPA advocates Nomgcobo Jiba and Lawrence Mrwebi, and former police commissioner Kgomotso Phalane.

As stated in the introduction, O’Sullivan is still fuming over being arrested on the plane, and it’s the first order of business in the High Court matter, with O’Sullivan believing he suffered damages to the tune of R4 million for being “removed from an aeroplane, about to depart for London, and together with his two minor children (ages 8 and 9) forced to disembark the aeroplane in full view of all the passengers in the aeroplane”.

“The first plaintiff was then handcuffed and arrested in the presence of his two minor children, which incident left the children severely traumatized and the first plaintiff humiliated,” O’Sullivan stated.

“The arrest and subsequent detention was unlawful and was not intended to secure the attendance of the first plaintiff at a criminal trial, but was intended to torture, harass, intimidate and harm the first plaintiff, alternatively was wrongful.”

The case is still in pre-trial pleadings, which include the answer, reply and any counterclaims between the parties and a court date has yet to be set.

Cases opened by Paul O’Sullivan for corruption/racketeering, against:

• Adv. Lawrence Mrweb
• Adv. Nomgcobo Jiba
• Dudu Myeni
• Lucky Montana
• Lt General Berning Ntlemeza
• Lt General Kgomotso Phahlane
• Lt General Richard Mdluli
• Lt General Vinesh Moonoo
• Major General Joey Mabasa
• Major General Prince Mokotedi

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