Lebeya Under Pressure at Madlanga Commission Over 541kg Cocaine Theft and Timmy Marimutu Links
Former Hawks national head Dr Godfrey Lebeya has come under intense questioning at the Madlanga Commission over his handling of the theft of a 541-kilogram cocaine consignment from a police storage facility in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal.
Lebeya told the commission that he did not regard former KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head General Lesetja Senona as a person of interest in the investigation, despite Senona being the custodian of the keys to the strong room where the drugs were stored.
Evidence leader Advocate Lee Seegels-Ncube questioned Lebeya on why Senona was not subjected to a polygraph examination given his responsibility for the facility.
Seegels-Ncube argued that, from a detective's perspective, the person responsible for the keys should have attracted investigative attention once it was established that a large quantity of cocaine had disappeared.
Lebeya, however, maintained that he regarded Senona as a complainant rather than a suspect or person of interest.
He further argued that the theft did not occur through the use of a key, appearing to reject the suggestion that custody of the keys alone was sufficient to make Senona a person of interest.
Contradicting accounts over cocaine storage
Lebeya also told the commission that he only became aware of the Port Shepstone storage facility after the 541 kilograms of drugs had been stolen.
His evidence differs from testimony previously given by Senona, who told the commission that he had informed Lebeya about the decision to store the drugs at the Hawks facility.
When confronted with the contradiction, Lebeya said he could not recall Senona informing him about the location where the drugs had been stored.
Seegels-Ncube put it bluntly to Lebeya that either Senona was lying, Lebeya was lying, or the two former Hawks generals were mistaken about what happened.
Lebeya declined to accuse Senona of lying, saying he simply could not remember receiving the information and therefore held the view that he had not been informed.
Questions over Timmy Marimutu
Lebeya was also questioned about his alleged links to convicted drug dealer and alleged kidnapping kingpin Timmy Marimutu.
Marimutu's name emerged at the commission during the testimony of Hawks KwaZulu-Natal Lieutenant Colonel Deena Govender, who alleged that Lebeya had instructed Hawks officers to meet with Marimutu.
Lebeya denied having a relationship with Marimutu.
He told Commission Chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga that he only became aware of Marimutu's name in the context of investigations into Crime Intelligence appointments.
Madlanga pressed Lebeya to explain precisely how Marimutu featured in that context.
Lebeya said that an individual identified as Marimutu appeared to be the spouse of a person connected to the matter and that, during his visits to KwaZulu-Natal, he would sometimes receive calls indicating that Marimutu wanted to meet him.
Lebeya maintained that he had never met him in circumstances that would amount to a relationship as alleged.
The testimony places Lebeya under renewed scrutiny over the handling of the massive cocaine theft, the investigation of senior Hawks officials and allegations concerning interactions with individuals linked to organised crime.
The commission is continuing to examine conflicting versions of events and whether proper investigative procedures were followed in the handling of the stolen drug consignment.Powerful headline alternatives:
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