A judge yesterday jailed South Africa’s former police chief and the ex-president of Interpol, Jackie Selebi, for 15 years for accepting bribes from organised crime.
Judge Meyer Joffe said he believed Mr Selebi was the most senior official ever convicted of graft in South Africa, saying high-level corruption posed a threat to the nation’s hard-won constitutional freedoms.
“Corruption threatens our constitutional order,” the judge said at the hearing in Johannesburg. “Corruption by members of the police force can never be tolerated. It is the very antithesis of what the police force stands for.”
Mr Selebi was convicted on July 2 of corruption for accepting more than 1.2 million rand (€122,000) in bribes between 2000 and 2005, including payments from convicted drug smuggler Glenn Agliotti.
“I am satisfied that a sentence of 15 years in prison is appropriate in the present matter,” the judge said at the high court, telling Mr Selebi he had repeatedly lied to cover his tracks.
“Mr Selebi, you were an embarrassment in the witness box,” the judge said.
“At no stage during the trial did the accused display any indication of remorse. The accused lied and fabricated evidence in an effort to escape the consequences of his conduct,” he added.
Mr Selebi’s lawyers told the court they would seek an appeal, and he was released on 20,000 rand (€2,000) bail and given 14 days to apply for appeal.
He refused to speak to reporters as he headed out of the building in a grey suit, but was seen laughing as he waited to leave the courtroom.
Prosecutors hailed the sentence, saying it would discourage corruption in government.
“It’s an appropriate sentence that fits the crime, as an inducement to all educated police officers to fight any temptation of engaging in any form of corruption,” spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga said outside the court.
The court heard that Mr Agliotti, who was on trial in an adjoining courtroom for the murder of a local mining magnate, indulged Mr Selebi’s fondness for designer clothing, which the police chief rewarded by feeding Mr Agliotti inside information.
“He enjoyed shopping, and so did I,” Mr Agliotti said during the trial which began in October.
“When I travelled to London, I bought him shoes at Harrods. I also bought him a pair of Louis Vuitton shoes in Hong Kong.”
While in office, Mr Selebi acknowledged his friendship with Mr Agliotti saying “Glenn Agliotti is my friend, finish and klaar (end of story).”
Known for his angry outbursts and snazzy suits, the 60-year-old rose through the ranks of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), playing a key role in the fight against apartheid.
After the fall of the white-minority government in 1994, Mr Selebi occupied top positions in the ANC-led government.
In 2000 former president Thabo Mbeki named him national police commissioner, a job that led to him becoming Interpol’s president from 2004 to 2008 – although he had no formal police training.
According to the prosecution, his shady dealings with criminals started during his time with Interpol, where he shared classified police intelligence with criminals in return for favours.
It was Mr Agliotti’s drugs conviction that lifted the lid on Mr Selebi’s activities, sparking a lengthy investigation into his life.