Justice Dept denies blocking NPA's access to Zondo Commission database
The NPA and the department briefed the justice committee on Tuesday on the impasse of having full access to the commission’s massive database.
National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Shamila Batohi (right) appeared before Parliament’s justice committee in Parliament, Cape Town on 10 September 2024. Picture: Babalo Ndenze/EWN
CAPE TOWN - The Justice Department has denied suggestions that it was blocking the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) from accessing the Zondo Commission's database.
The commission’s former officials and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development told Parliament that they did not prevent the MPA and its Investigating Directorate (ID) from accessing the commission’s archives.
The NPA and the department briefed the justice committee on Tuesday on the impasse of having full access to the commission’s massive database.
National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi told MPs that they had been requesting unhindered access to the commission’s database for about four years as they try to prosecute state capture-related cases.
She said the Investigating Directorate in the NPA was provided "levels of access" but not the full access it needs.
"The ID requires unhindered access to the archives of the state capture commission," Batohi said.
But Director-General Doc Mashabane said that this was not the case.
"We’ve never gotten a situation where specific information can be said to have been denied for whatever reason. Information is always provided."
The department said that what transpired was that arrangements were made to train NPA officials on how to access the information in the data centre, saying some of it was not submitted to the commission.