Hawks seriously concerned by Jonas' allegations

2018-08-24 22:42

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Hawks head, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, has reacted with"serious concern" after it emerged on Friday that a senior Hawks member had allegedly tried to "kill" a case investigating allegations that the Gupta family had tried to bribe former finance minister Mcebisi Jonas.

Jonas had delivered several bombshells on Friday while he was guiding Deputy Chief Justice Ray Zondo through the chronology of events of state capture as he experienced it.

This was during the judicial commission of inquiry into state capture.

Jonas told the commission that the Hawks tried to "kill" the case, by preparing a statement contradicting his previous media statement that he was offered R600m if he took the job of finance minister in 2015.

Jonas said he was contacted by then Hawks head Berning Ntlemeza.

Ntlemeza decided to assign Major General Zinhle Mnonopi – the head of serious corruption investigation – to the state capture case opened by political parties, the DA and COPE.

"Mnonopi said this was a DA matter and that I did not want to help the DA and they want to kill the matter," Jonas testified. 

Jonas said Mnonopi wanted him to sign a prepared false draft statement to say that he was not a witness to corruption, but he was not willing to do so.

"The statement was settled by an advocate. Was the identity of the advocate revealed?" Mokoena asked Jonas.

Although Jonas responded that the name was revealed, he could not recall it.

Mokoena asked him to "take the necessary steps" to come up with the name.

In a short statement on Friday, the Hawks said: "The DPCI [Hawks] is following the process closely and will apply the laws that are being invited. We support the work of the Commission and will allow the witnesses to complete the testimony without distraction before enlisting their assistance in visiting the matter."