The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) have met and agreed to further strengthen ties.
This in the wake of reports in August this year claiming that the department was hampering the work of the NPA’s Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) by blocking access to the State Capture data centre.
This was strongly refuted by the department when it appeared before a meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development in September.
In a statement on Friday, the department said it had met with the NPA to further clarify the issue.
“The department…and the NPA held constructive discussions on Wednesday, 18 December 2024, with regard to the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption’s [IDAC] required access to information from the repository of the State Capture Commission.
“The parties have agreed to strengthen their collaboration with a view to resolving all outstanding issues pertaining to IDAC access, and to facilitate efficient and effective response to all IDAC requests,” a statement from the department read.
READ | Justice department rebuffs “inaccurate” reports
A joint technical working group will also be set up which will “immediately start working on all the urgent issues to ensure that IDAC carries out its mandate without any challenges".
“The Minister will be regularly briefed on progress in this regard to ensure that the Parties are given any high-level support they may require from time to time.
“The meeting was led by [the department’s] Director-General, Advocate Doctor Mashabane, and National Director of Public Prosecutions [NDPP] Advocate Shamila Batohi,” the statement concluded. – SAnews.gov.za
