Jackie Selebi guilty of accepting bribes and Harrods designer clothes from a convicted drug baron
Jackie Selebi guilty of accepting bribes and Harrods designer clothes from a convicted drug baronJackie Selebi, who made his name as an anti-apartheid activist and was a close ally of former President Thabo Mbeki, accepted Rs 1.4 crore (1.2 million rand) in bribes in return for turning a blind eye and providing inside information. Known for a love of designer clothes, he also accepted gifts including shoes from Harrods and Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss clothes and Gucci handbags for his wife and girlfriend.
He was convicted following a nine-month trial which exposed the cracks in the ruling ANC party and provoked fury in a country whose public services are hampered by widespread corruption and suffers from one of the highest crime rates in the world.
Selebi was brought down by the evidence of drug trafficker Glenn Agliotti, who said he passed classified police intelligence to him including, the fact that British authorities were investigating him in connection with alleged drug smuggling into Britain.
"When I travelled to London, I bought him shoes at Harrods. I also bought him a pair of Louis Vuitton shoes in Hong Kong," he said during the trial. While in office, Selebi acknowledged his friendship with Agliotti saying, "Glenn Agliotti is my friend, finish and klaar (end of story)." Convicting him of one count of corruption at Johannesburg's High Court, Judge Meyer Joffe said that in his evidence, the former police chief had shown a 'complete contempt for the truth'.
Selebi (60), was appointed South Africa's first black commissioner by Mbeki amid strong protests from several quarters in 2000. Salebi had no formal training that qualified him for the job. Salebi remains on bail and will be sentenced on July 14.
