Forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan has denied repeated accusations of being a spy during testimony before Parliament’s ad hoc committee, calling the claims “unlawful and dishonest.”
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan has profusely denied allegations made by MK Party MP David Skosana, who repeatedly called him “a spy and a thug” during testimony before Parliament’s ad hoc committee in Cape Town on Thursday.
“I am not a spy, and I have never been a spy. I have served this country well and faithfully for 36 years,” O'Sullivan said.
Addressing the committee chairman, he added, “Chairman, this member has unlawfully and dishonestly called me a spy at least ten times. If he calls me a spy one more time, I am going to stop answering his questions.”
The ad hoc committee is investigating allegations made by South African Police Service KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
O'Sullivan’s testimony had been previously postponed due to his falling ill.
During the session, Skosana pressed O'Sullivan on his past investments in South Africa, questioning why he chose to invest in the country during the international sanctions and boycott of the apartheid era.
“Yes, I chose to invest in South Africa,” O'Sullivan confirmed.
Skosana accused him of moving to the country to “enjoy apartheid South Africa,” a claim O'Sullivan rejected.
“That is definitely wrong,” he said. “I moved because I saw South Africa moving towards democracy. I already owned properties here and wanted to be part of that movement.”
When asked about the timing of his property acquisitions, O'Sullivan said he bought some properties in the mid-1980s but also invested in other countries.
Skosana then raised the issue of an alleged investment in Saint Helena, which O'Sullivan denied, saying he had not invested in Iceland either.
“I don’t trust journalists,” O'Sullivan added, in response to Skosana’s questions about media reports.
The exchange escalated as Skosana accused O'Sullivan of lying and continued to press him on his alleged UK Army number, 24302818.
O'Sullivan said he did not know what Skosana was referring to and requested evidence for the claims that he was a spy.
EFF leader and committee member Julius Malema intervened to clarify that UK soldiers are assigned a military number, but O'Sullivan said he could not recall a number from 50 years ago, having served from 1972 to 1977.
“I cannot confirm the number,” O'Sullivan said. “It may have occurred years ago, but I cannot remember.”
Skosana insisted the information had been verified by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) in 2002 during O'Sullivan’s vetting for employment at Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA).
Skosana continued to insist O'Sullivan was hiding information because he was a spy, prompting O'Sullivan to push back.