Michael Mashuga, a former senior prosecutor, has accused forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan of interfering with the operations of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).
Speaking before Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating corruption in the criminal justice system, Mashuga claimed the police watchdog was effectively under O’Sullivan’s control.
He alleged that O’Sullivan impersonated IPID officials and unlawfully accessed the private information of former acting commissioner Khomotso Phahlane. Mashuga, who left the National Prosecuting Authority in 2024, testified about the case he had pursued against O’Sullivan and his former assistant, Sarah Jane Trent.
Mashuga said the case against O’Sullivan — arrested for allegedly impersonating an IPID officer — was struck off the roll and never re-enrolled due to interference. “I will place evidence before this committee that the IPID investigation at that stage was not independent because it was infiltrated and led by O’Sullivan and Sarah Jane Trent,” he said.
He further alleged that O’Sullivan retaliated by accusing him of state capture after Mashuga pursued the prosecution under the IPID Act.
O’Sullivan is expected to return for further questioning tomorrow.