Justice Department dismisses claims it lost Zondo's Commission evidence

CAPE TOWN - The justice department said that it is untrue that it lost information used as evidence in the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into state capture, or that it is blocking access to the repository.

However, head of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Shamila Batohi has on Friday confirmed that her investigators currently can't access the database.

Minister Thembi Simelane however said that this will be ironed out once the Investigating Directorate (ID) is fully legally compliant.

The justice department said that the evidence database from the Zondo Commission is at least one terabyte.

Director General Doc Mashabane said that reports that the storage of this information may be in jeopardy, are untrue.

But he said that investigators wanting access, must apply to do so.

"In terms of any information that any law enforcement agencies require, they follow a particular protocol just to make sure we comply with the laws taking into account that's the information of the state."

Batohi said that these protocols are not practical and time is of the essence to launch prosecutions against the implicated.

"The reality is that currently the Investigating Directorate does not have the access that it needs in order to properly investigate these cases."

Simelane said that she has now signed the necessary regulations to support the full functioning of the Investigating Directorate.