Eyewitness News (EWN) has learnt that Corruption Watch has complained to both the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Department of Justice about what it says is a threat from the NPA’s commercial crimes head, advocate Lawrence Mrwebi.
Mrwebi emailed the NGO and said he could be interested in investigating its finances after its head David Lewis told EWN that deputy NPA head advocate Nomgcobo Jiba should resign or be fired.
The General Council of the Bar has asked a judge to remove Mrwebi from the roll of advocates after he was strongly criticised by the Supreme Court of Appeal for his role in withdrawing criminal charges against former police crime intelligence head Richard Mdluli.
After Lewis spoke to EWN, Mrwebi emailed Corruption Watch saying Lewis was misleading the public and that he had to confront him because an “African sister was being savaged”.
In that e-mail, he also said about Corruption Watch’s funding “who provides those resources, may be something we may be interested in at some stage”.
Lewis says that’s disturbing.
“That seems to be a particular threat coming from a very powerful person in the law enforcement community.”
In a response email to EWN, Mrwebi says he’s not going to respond to Lewis, but that he has reread his original e-mail and cannot find any suggestion of a threat within it.
He adds EWN should please tell Lewis to behave.
