‘I’m back in SA and I have receipts’: Paul O’Sullivan to testify before Parliament

Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan has told IOL that he has landed in South Africa from London after returning earlier than planned to testify in person on Tuesday before Parliament’s ad hoc committee, rejecting claims that he was fleeing accountability.

“I am not in the business of fleeing, I am not a coward,” O’Sullivan said, adding that he decided to return after learning that the ad hoc committee is expected to conclude its work next week.

His return follows repeated refusals by the committee to allow him to testify virtually, despite earlier requests from O’Sullivan to appear via an online platform while he was abroad — a stance that drew criticism from some MPs who questioned his credibility and commitment to the process.

“I have come back early because I understand they are closing this Ad Hoc Committee next week. I believe it is important for the country to get the truth instead of listening to all this crap from some of these criminals that appeared before the committee,” he said.

O’Sullivan said he would now appear in person to present evidence supporting the claims he previously made, stressing that his actions were motivated by decades of fighting crime in South Africa.

“I am going there to give them the truth, with evidence. I have been fighting crime in South Africa for 36 years and in that period I have been injured, I have been shot, I have suffered a lot,” he said.

He also dismissed speculation circulating online, saying he does not engage on social media.

“I am not on social media, I do not have social media. I don’t have time to work social media, but I am aware of the fact that there are a lot of anonymous people on social media creating fiction and putting it out there,” O’Sullivan said.

“The reality of the situation is that I have been serving this country for 36 years and I am not going to stand by and let these criminals get away with what they have been doing.”

O’Sullivan also pointed to his long history of high-profile investigations, noting that he began his campaign against former national police commissioner Jackie Selebi more than two decades ago.

Parliament has not yet confirmed when O’Sullivan will appear before the committee or whether further witnesses will be heard before it concludes its work.

O’Sullivan has come under attack from some witnesses who have appeared before the ad hoc committee, who accused him of allegedly infiltrating the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) and exerting improper influence within law enforcement structures.

According to previous IOL reports, these individuals claimed O’Sullivan operated behind the scenes at IPID, directing or manipulating investigations for his own purposes — allegations he has repeatedly denied.

O’Sullivan has dismissed the claims as false and defamatory, maintaining that he has never infiltrated IPID and insisting that his interactions with law enforcement agencies over the years were limited to reporting criminal conduct and assisting investigations where requested.

He has further argued that the accusations levelled against him are aimed at discrediting him and deflecting attention from the allegations of criminality he has raised before the committee.

jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za

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