South Africa's former police chief and ex-president of Interpol Jackie Selebi was convicted yesterday of corruption for accepting bribes from organised crime.

Mr Selebi had denied the charges against him, which he said were part of a broader political conspiracy that reached to the top levels of government.

The trial laid out his startling links with the criminal underworld, in particular with convicted drug smuggler Glenn Agliotti who was accused of giving him cash and luxury gifts.

"Having due regard to the poor quality of the accused's evidence, the accused's denial of receipt of the payment is not reasonably possibly true," Judge Meyer Joffe said in a verdict.

"The accused is found guilty of corruption," he said.

Mr Selebi was accused of taking bribes from Mr Agliotti totalling more than 1.2 million rand ($166,000) between 2000 and 2005.

The charges centred on their friendship, in a tangled web of allegations that were at turns recanted and reclaimed on the stand.

What finally emerged was a picture of Mr Agliotti, who was also accused in the murder of a local mining magnate, indulging 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)."

The judge was scathing in his ruling against the former head of the South African Police Service.