Ramsamy accuses Idac boss of orchestrating attack on police leaders

Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) head Adv Andrea Johnson participated in an “orchestrated attack” against national commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola and crime intelligence head Lt-Gen Dumisani Khumalo, prosecutor Drushantha Ramsamy has told the Madlanga commission.

“I want to make it clear that advocate Johnson and Mr [Dylan] Perumal launched an orchestrated attack on Gen Masemola and Lt-Gen Khumalo using Idac’s powerful investigation tools, and this will become evident in my statement and testimony,” Ramsamy told the commission on Thursday.

A prosecutor on the controversial cases, Ramsamy’s damning remarks strike at the heart of the commission’s probe into allegations that the directorate actively participated in a “well co-ordinated attack” against Khumalo and Masemola.

Johnson, during her testimony, shifted blame to Ramsamy to account for the directorate’s actions in controversial crime intelligence investigations.

“Advocate Johnson told many untruths about me and my involvement in what is now known as the [Dineo] Mokwele case. She did not disclose that I raised concerns from the outset and repeatedly thereafter, which concerns I will deal with in detail,” Ramsamy.

Although Johnson conceded that the corruption case against Khumalo and the PFMA charges against Masemola did not fall within Idac’s mandate, she said the investigators and the prosecutor, Ramsamy, would have to explain why the directorate took on those cases.

Ramsamy said she had concerns about the merits of the Mokwele case, in which Khumalo was charged for corruption for hiring an “unqualified civilian”, triggered by a complaint filed by MP Fadiel Adams to the directorate.

The request for the dockets was yet another matter that did not sit well with me. We usually request certified copies of the docket, and the originals are retained by whoever the request is addressed to. In this instance I was asked to request the original dockets (which is evident from the letter to Maj-Gen Khumalo).

—  Drushantha Ramsamy, prosecutor

Ramsamy said despite her concerns on the merits of the Mokwele case, Johnson “instructed” her to take on the matter.

Ramsamy provided the commission with the recording of a phone call she had with Johnson on July 22, in which Johnson could be heard saying: “We have to figure out a way for you not to go there.”

Johnson was telling Ramsamy not to go to the Madlanga commission, adding that it was a “shit show” dragging down the names of members of the directorate.

“I had concerns about other crime intelligence-related cases and matters relating to the national commissioner, Gen Fannie Masemola.

“I confirm that I prepared documents on Adv Johnson’s instruction that were not in accordance with Idac’s standard operating procedure. The commission must mind that at this point Adv Johnson had stated that ‘they had made a decision that the matter was to proceed in terms of section 28(13)’ and I was to draft the authorisation and e-mail it to her on the same day that the referral was handed to me because she wanted to approve it by Friday, December 6 2024,” Ramsamy said.

Johnson’s testimony was that the decision to trigger an investigation in the Mokwele matter was based on the decision taken after the prosecutor, Ramsamy, applied her mind.

Ramsamy contradicted this, suggesting she did not have an independent decision but was instructed by Johnson to draft the paperwork triggering an investigation despite concerns about the merits of the case.

Another untruth Ramsamy said Johnson told the commission was about a letter sent to Maj-Gen Mbuso Khumalo seeking four dockets related to Adams’s case.

Johnson said the directorate had requested the dockets from Khumalo, but chats from WhatsApp show Johnson in December 2024 told Ramsamy to shred the letter.

“The request for the dockets was yet another matter that did not sit well with me. We usually request certified copies of the docket, and the originals are retained by whoever the request is addressed to. In this instance I was asked to request the original dockets (which is evident from the letter to Maj-Gen Khumalo).

“Adv Johnson testified that we sent the letter requesting the docket to Maj-Gen Khumalo and that he indicated the dockets were not with him or were not his. As stated above, the letter was never sent to Maj-Gen Khumalo, and advocate Johnson knew that because she told me to shred the letter,” Ramsamy said.

Ramsamy continues with her evidence.

Business Day