The bill for prosecuting the so-called "Cato Manor death squad" is running into millions.
|||The cost of investigating and prosecuting 30 police officers accused of running the “Cato Manor death squad” is expected to rise to nearly R30 million as a protracted legal battle wears on.
The officers, who have been suspended indefinitely since their arrest more than a year ago, will appear in the Durban High Court tomorrow.
Their appearance is expected to be brief, and the matter will, in all likelihood, be postponed to a date next year.
Their prosecution cannot take place until a high court application to nullify racketeering charges, brought by the team’s head Major-General Johan Booysen, is heard in February.
In his application, Booysen told the court that his corruption investigation into a businessman with political and police connections had resulted in him being targeted.
The members of the unit appear to be collateral damage.
They face a litany of charges including murder and theft, specifically of suspects during the course of their arrests.
Since their suspension, the state has paid nearly R11 million in salaries to the specialist detectives who are barred from working.
Adding to the prosecution’s costs is a team of advocates who travel to and from Gauteng regularly to attend the officers’ court appearances, and stay in top hotels in Durban for the duration of their stay.
The investigation of the alleged “hit squad” took more than a year to complete, with a squadron of nearly 20 police officers from Gauteng also incurring travel and accommodation costs.
The state, which appears to be using the full might of legal and police resources against the officers, won’t say how much it has spent on the investigation.
A source within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), who could not be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media, said that the mounting costs of the prosecution were “astronomical”.
“Think about it like this, you don’t have one advocate, you have a team of them who have to spend their working hours on the case. Those are significant salaries that are being dedicated to this cause. On top of that, they are flown regularly to and from Durban and put up in hotels like the Elangeni, and this has been going on for nearly two years,” he said.
“This is all before the trial has even started, and with so many charges and a massive indictment, this will not be an in and out case. So that is more flights, more accommodation costs and more human capital that will be devoted to this end,” he added.
This week the NPA failed to respond to questions from the Sunday Tribune.
Spokesman Nathi Mncube sidestepped the issue of how much the litigation was costing the taxpayer.
“The lead prosecutor and his team in the matter you mention are all in the employ of the NPA. Consequently they earn a salary from NPA irrespective of where and how often they prosecute cases in court. Our focus, in every case, is to make sure that the prosecution is conducted by skilled and experienced prosecutors who understand that there is no price to be put on criminal justice.
“NPA assigns prosecutors who will do the case efficiently and diligently and be able to deal with pressures that come with prosecuting a case of this magnitude, irrespective of the individual’s remuneration package. We are satisfied that we have that in this current prosecution team,” he said.
When pressed for a detailed breakdown of the costs the NPA had incurred to date, he would not comment further.
“Unfortunately I can only comment on issues relating to NPA. The state resources will include, among others, resources employed by SAPS in their investigation of this matter. I am not in a position to do so, nor do I have the mandate to speak on behalf of SAPS. In as far as the questions relating to the NPA personnel are concerned; I am of the view that the answers I provided you with are sufficient,” he said.
Hawks spokesman Paul Ramaloko took a similar stance and refused to provide a cost breakdown of the investigation team’s effort, ultimately funded by the taxpayer.
“We unfortunately also cannot reply on the financial part as the matter is still on-going. We agree that we need to revert back to South Africans on all those questions. What we are saying is that we will be able to so at the right time.”
This cost is expected to be a significant burden on the state, with nearly 20 high-ranking officers from specialised divisions tasked with probing allegations against the accused.
During their arrest in September last year, hundreds of special task force officers from across the country were flown to Durban to provide tactical support for the arrests, even though the 30 had agreed to hand themselves over.
The number of accused is now 28 because of the death of two of the officers, Captain Neville Eva and Captain Vincent Auerbach. - Sunday Tribune
jeff.wicks@inl.co.za