17 Dec 2020

The Minister of Defence, Justice and Security Mr Kagiso Mmusi has informed Parliament  that government has paid a total of P509 605 as legal costs over the last five years.

In response to a question asked in Parliament, Mr Mmusi said over the past 6 years, there had been 30 cases of malicious prosecution that were registered against the government.

“A total amount of P3 023, 189.24 in damages has been paid since 2015 to date regarding cases of malicious prosecution,” he said.

He explained that malicious prosecution were lawsuits brought by individuals who alleged that they were wrongfully prosecuted and consequently acquitted in the criminal courts.

He clarified that the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) did not handle any arbitration matters while no costs associated with arbitration had been paid by the DPP.

Mr Mmusi, however, noted that the DPP had clear annual performance targets which included success rate in court and compliance with set standards.

He stated that the success rate in terms of convictions secured and compliance with standards was satisfactory, adding that cases that were reported in the media did not adequately represent the real measure of the effectiveness of the office of the DPP.

He said mindful of the fact that the DPP was an independent office established by the Constitution, its performance was satisfactory.

Kanye North MP, Mr Thapelo Letsholo had asked the minister to state how much government had to pay out as a result of being sued over lost cases at the courts and how much the government had to pay for lost cases at arbitration.

He also wanted to know how much government had paid in respect of damages for wrongful prosecution.

The MP further asked if the minister was satisfied with the performance of the DPP.  ENDS