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Former National Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Shaun Abrahams is seen before the TRC Cases Inquiry.
Former National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Advocate Shaun Abrahams, has been unequivocal in his assertion that there was no political interference with his work during his tenure between June 2015 and August 2018.
Testifying at the TRC Cases Inquiry on Thursday, Abrahams says that he had a proper relationship with then Justice Minister Michael Masutha.
He says that when he took office, he briefed Masutha on the status of the TRC Cases that the NPA’s Priority Crimes Litigation Unit was working on and was then left to get on with it.
“I had made it clear to the minister when I met with him, I told him there may be post-TRC prosecutions; these are the matters that we are presently looked at. The minister said to me, thank you for briefing me, you fulfil your mandate. If there’s merit in a case, you proceed. The minister understood the concept of what our relationship entailed, what his relationship entailed as the political head with final responsibility over the NPA and my role as national director.”
Abrahams’ testimony contrasts starkly with that of one of his predecessors, Advocate Vusi Pikoli, who alleged interference in his work by former Justice Minister Bridgitte Mabandla while he was NDPP between 2005 and 2007.
Today’s proceedings in the stream below:
