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Johannesburg - Forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan, former SAA CEO Monwabisi Kalawe and Mogale City COO Abednego Mbulawa have been charged with using forged documents in a bid to get the airline's chairperson Dudu Myeni to resign.
They appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court on Monday on charges of extortion, intimidation, fraud, forgery, and uttering, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Luvuyo Mfaku told News24.
The matter was postponed to June 7, for the contents of the docket to be disclosed to the accused.
O'Sullivan also appeared in the same court on Monday on charges of contravening the Immigration Act. He was allegedly found with several passports as he was about to fly to London with his daughters from OR Tambo International Airport in April.
The Hawks nabbed him following a tip-off from the Department of Home Affairs that someone was travelling on multiple passports.
O'Sullivan was released on R20 000 bail. One of the conditions attached was that he not go within 5km of an airport.
Mfaku said O'Sullivan brought an application to have a review of his bail conditions, which the State would oppose. That matter would also be heard on June 7.
Forged documents
In the SAA case, O' Sullivan's home was raided in April last year and cellphones and computers were seized.
This followed him sending an e-mail demanding that Myeni resign as SAA board chairperson. He produced bank statements showing she had overseas bank accounts with money allegedly received from kickbacks related to tenders for the airline.
He realised the bank statements were forgeries and informed the police.
News24 reported in March last year that O'Sullivan opened a criminal case of fraud and forgery against Mbulawa.
E-mails included in the complaint purport to show that Mbulawa had Kalawe deposit R150 000 into an account in his name, claiming the money was to cover his costs in obtaining the documents from his contacts in France.
Mbulawa denied the allegations in an SMS response to questions at the time.
“As a COO in a municipality that got a clean audit, I have made my position clear, more so that I have no motive to be party to such fraudulent activities,” he said.
Asked at the time for the reason for Kalawe’s payment of R150 000 into his account, Mbulawa said: “That is a private matter between myself and him, and has nothing to do with any illegal activities. I do consultancy work. He came to me for advice on his problems. I’ve got copies of invoices I sent to him. He asked for advice, and he paid for it. My integrity is very important. I’m not party to it.”
BDLive reported in April last year that in Kalawe's founding affidavit filed to the Labour Court over his previous suspension, he argued that SAA was accusing him of procuring false overseas bank statements to dig up dirt on Myeni. He sent the documents to O’Sullivan, knowing he would make them public.
Kalawe denied this in court documents and claimed to have made the disclosures in the interests of the national carrier.
