SAPS will foot Cele’s legal bill

Suspended national police commissioner Bheki Cele’s legal fees will be paid for by the SAPS, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa has revealed.

Cele is currently the subject of a board of inquiry into his fitness to hold office.

Appointed by President Jacob Zuma in the wake of the Public Protector’s findings that multibillion-rand lease deals for police headquarters in Durban and Pretoria were unlawful, the inquiry is chaired by Judge Jake Moloi.

It is currently wrapping up its work and compiling a report, which will be sent to Zuma and put before Parliament.

Cele’s legal tab would be picked up by the taxpayers as he had “applied due to the nature of the matter that arose as a result of his official position”, Mthethwa said.

He had been asked who would be paying Cele’s legal bills in a parliamentary question by Freedom Front Plus MP Pieter Groenewald.

Mthethwa’s written reply stated that no specific criteria had been applied in deciding to pay for Cele’s legal representatives, except that it followed advice from the state attorney, and that the inquiry “was prompted by decisions he allegedly took in his official capacity”.

It was not possible to put a figure on the amount “at this stage due to the fact that the inquiry is not finalised”, Mthethwa said.

Cele had however signed an undertaking that his fees could be recovered from him – but this would depend on the outcome of the inquiry.

Cele has denied any wrongdoing. - Political Bureau