NPA’s Investigating Directorate says needs capacity to probe state capture cases

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Investigating Directorate says it hopes to recruit some of the staff from the State Capture Commission to enhance its capacity to investigate complicated criminal cases.

The Head of the Directorate, advocate Hermione Cronje, says the cases they are dealing with are characterised by a high degree of sophistication.

She told Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) that in many cases the state does not have the capacity to match those of the criminals which often involve senior political figures, senior executives and multi-national companies supported by accountants, lawyers and management consulting firms.

“When we managed to reach agreements with the state capture commission to use the sophisticated technology that the commission had been able to amass to sift through this data has been a huge boost. Because it means we have the capability within the state. We don’t depend on private contractors to do the work. Our work is prioritised … that is really a game-changer in this investigation,” explains Cronje.

In February, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) says it is about time South Africa introduced substantive and meaningful change in its fight against corruption.

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