Court orders reinstatement of fired Justice Department official
A Business Day report says the Justice Department has been taken to task by the Pretoria High Court for improperly firing an employee accused of bribery after suspending him on full pay for six years.
It says Ben Nell, whose job it had been to appoint liquidators to estates, was first suspended in 1999 after allegations he was given gifts by liquidator Oliver Powell. A departmental disciplinary hearing against Nell convened last year was dismissed by an internal tribunal for a lack of detail, but on December 23 Justice Department Director-General Menzi Simelane sent a letter to Nell saying he was dismissed with immediate effect for receiving a corrupt payment. The report says an appeal by Nell proved successful yesterday when Judge Brian Southwood ordered Nells full reinstatement and said there were no facts to justify the claim that Nell took bribes. Full Business Day report