Ex-Interpol chief convicted of corruption

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa’s former top policeman and ex-head of Interpol Jackie Selebi was found guilty of corruption Friday after being found to have been in the pay of a convicted drug smuggler.

Selebi, 60, was convicted in the South Gauteng High Court of corruption but found not guilty of a separate charge of defeating the ends of justice.

He was freed by the court pending his sentencing, set for July 14. The maximum sentence for corruption is 15 years in prison.

In handing down his judgement, Judge Meyer Joffe said Selebi showed “complete contempt for the truth”.

Selebi was accused of taking more than 1 million rand (around $130,000) in cash and gifts from convicted drug smuggler Glenn Agliotti, who is also accused of the 2005 murder of mining magnate Brett Kebble.

In return, prosecutors said, he provided Agliotti with sensitive information about cases relating to him.

Selebi claimed he and Algiotti were merely friends.

He was placed on special leave by former president Thabo Mbeki in 2008 and replaced at the end of his contract by Bheki Cele in July 2009.

The Selebi case has shone a light on the problem of corruption in the police, which has hampered the fight against crime in a country battling some of the world’s highest rates of murder, rape and robbery.