Phahlane: Ipid has been captured
Acting National Police Commissioner Khomotso Phahlane and Ipid head Robert McbBride are appearing together before the police committee for the first time.
CAPE TOWN - The gloves have come off in the long-simmering battle between acting National Police Commissioner Khomotso Phahlane and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
Phahlane has accused Ipid of being captured and of targeting him illegally.
Ipid head Robert Mcbride and Phahlane, accompanied by fellow officers, are appearing before Parliament's Police Committee together for the first time.
Ipid claims that Phahlane is abusing state resources to launch counter-investigations against its investigators who are probing his alleged involvement in tender and other irregularities.
The police watchdog body has accused Phahlane of deploying a senior police team to obstruct its investigation into him.
Ipid's McBride: "We’re a constitutional body. We can’t be counter-investigated. State resources can’t be used to defend a suspect in our case."
Phahlane hit back, claiming the investigation is unlawful and that Ipid has been "captured" by independent investigator Paul O'Sullivan.
"It may be safe to call it Opid – O’Sullivan’s Police Investigative Directorate. They have been captured for far too long."
Ipid says Phahlane should be suspended or put on leave to allow its probe into the allegations against him to be investigated without further hindrance.
