Ngobeni a fugitive from justice - US authorities
The appointment of Paul Ngobeni, who rose to prominence through his role in President Jacob Zuma's legal brains trust and his advocacy of Cape Judge President John Hlophe, as legal adviser to Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Lindiwe Sisulu, continues to receive media attention, writes Legalbrief, with authorities in Connecticut confirming he is a fugitive from justice in the state.
A report on the Politicsweb site quotes Mark A Dupuis, Communications Officer for the Division of Criminal Justice, State of Connecticut, as saying: 'The status of the case remains unchanged, the charges are pending and Paul Ngobeni is a fugitive from justice in the State of Connecticut.' Ngobeni is facing a series of criminal charges in Connecticut, notes the report, among them forgery and larceny. Ngobeni was due to appear in court in Connecticut on 28 March 2008. However, he failed to turn up and a re-arrest warrant was issued. Ngobeni told City Press that Dupuis was 'talking rubbish. A court dismissed part of the case against me and leave to appeal on the rest was granted on 10 March 2008. I can't be a fugitive while my appeal is pending. He has it wrong.' The Politicsweb report notes Ngobeni is also permanently prohibited from practising law in Connecticut, after ethical misconduct charges were brought against him. Ngobeni also admitted to City Press that he lacked SA legal qualification. However, he stated he was eligible to practise law through an exemption granted by the Minister of Justice, under the Recognition of Foreign Legal Qualifications and Practice Amendment Act of 1995. 'I believe the DA racist bastards are hiding behind so-called parliamentary privilege to abuse my name', the paper quoted Ngobeni as saying.
Full Politicsweb report
Full City Press report
The DA used the new Presidential hotline yesterday to request an investigation into the appointment of Ngobeni. 'There are a great many questions about how he qualified as a public servant and passed the requisite vetting procedure,' DA MP Gareth van Onselen said, according to a report on The Citizen site. He said the person who registered the complaint was 'quite taken aback' at the details of the case and expressed the view that the man - Ngobeni - should not be practising and should be arrested. The hotline, launched by President Jacob Zuma as a way of stamping out corruption, received 7 261 calls between 9am and noon - or 40 calls per minute - on its first day yesterday.
Full report in The Citizen