Africa

Africa

Interpolâ€™s head faces graft charges

12 January 2008 08:49 (UTC +04:00)

A court on Friday rejected an urgent application by Mr Selebi, who is also the president of Interpol, to try to stop the prosecution. He is alleged to have received at least $170,000 from a convicted criminal over a five-year period.
Mr Selebi has been under investigation since last year and denies wrongdoing.
A prosecution affidavit refers to a "generally corrupt relationship" between Mr Selebi and local businessman Glen Agliotti.
Agliotti recently received a 10-year suspended prison sentence in a drugs case after entering into a plea bargain.
He is also accused of involvement in the 2005 killing of mining magnate Brett Kebble.
Correspondents say the charges are controversial in South Africa, with some accusing the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of playing a political role.
Supporters of the ruling ANC President Jacob Zuma have accused the NPA of pressing charges against him, as part of a power struggle between him and President Thabo Mbeki.
The anti-crime unit known as the Scorpions has been investigating Mr Selebi.
The charging of Gerrie Nel, who was leading the probe, was a further twist in rivalry between the Scorpions and the police. Gerrie Nel, also an elite unit of the NPA, who was leading the investigation into Selebi, has also been arrested on corruption charges. The Scorpions consists primarily of investigators who work hand-in-hand with prosecutors in the NPA. /APA/