Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan on Thursday apologised and withdrew controversial remarks, saying the comments had been taken out of context.
Image: Picture Henk Kruger / Independent Newspapers
Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan apologised to MPs on Thursday after allegedly saying that some of them could “lick his backside” and referring to some parliamentarians as “crooks” in a previous interview.
He made the apology while appearing before Parliament’s ad hoc committee, following heated exchanges with MK Party MP David Skosana.
A clip from his previous interview with broadcaster eNCA, was played to the committee in which O’Sullivan was heard referring to “those crooks in Parliament” and using the Irish phrase “póg mo thóin”.
O’Sullivan told the committee the phrase was an analogy.
“Literally translated, it means kiss my backside. But it’s an analogy,” he said. “It doesn’t mean you must come and do it.”
He compared the remark to the controversial “Kill the Boer” chant, saying phrases should be understood in context and not taken literally.
Committee chairperson Soviet Lekganyane asked whether he had intended the comment to be taken seriously.
“Absolutely not. Unless you’ve cleaned your teeth first,” O’Sullivan replied, drawing further criticism from MPs.
He said the remarks were made in response to allegations about his integrity and claims that he should be brought to Parliament “in a donkey cart”.
“However, in the interest of peace, I withdraw the comment and I apologise most humbly,” he later said.
EFF leader Julius Malema urged him to retract the statement on the same platform where it was made.
“Once you use the platform to say something, there’s no way that platform can deny you to come back and retract it,” Malema said.
O’Sullivan said he would do so if possible but added he did not “prescribe to the media”.
Another committee member asked him to withdraw his reference to MPs as “crooks”, saying he was painting all members with the same brush.
“I know for a fact that there are some crooks in Parliament,” O’Sullivan replied, prompting calls for him to name them.
Tensions escalated as Skosana repeatedly referred to O’Sullivan as “a spy and a thug”.
“I am not a spy, and I have never been a spy. I have served this country well and faithfully for 36 years,” O’Sullivan said.
He warned that he would stop answering questions if Skosana continued to call him a spy.
The ad hoc committee is investigating allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Skosana questioned O’Sullivan about his investments in South Africa during the apartheid-era sanctions and boycott.
“Yes, I chose to invest in South Africa,” O’Sullivan said, rejecting claims he moved to the country to “enjoy apartheid South Africa”.
He said he saw the country moving towards democracy and had also invested in other countries.
When pressed about an alleged UK Army number, O’Sullivan said he did not know what Skosana was referring to and asked for evidence.
Patriotic Alliance MP Ashley Sauls said he still believed O’Sullivan’s work in South Africa had been “heroic”, but warned that arrogance could undermine his legacy.
Sauls read Ephesians 6:14 and urged him to put on the “breastplate of righteousness” and avoid appearing disrespectful.
ActionSA MP Dereleen James supported calls for an apology, saying O’Sullivan “always seems to be on people’s backsides with all these insults”.
ANC MP Xola Nqola demanded a “serious apology”, questioning “what kind of ass” MPs had been instructed to kiss.
At one point, O’Sullivan appeared to laugh and shake his head, further angering members.
His testimony ended abruptly when he walked out of the hearing, citing a flight he needed to catch.
He repeatedly told Advocate Bongiwe Mkhize he had to leave by 1pm to avoid the financial cost of rescheduling.
As he stood up and gathered his belongings, Malema told him to sit down, saying he had not been dismissed by the chair.
Skosana warned that they would open a case against him for leaving.
“I am finished,” O’Sullivan replied as he exited.
Outside the venue, O’Sullivan told reporters: “I have done enough. I am not going to have somebody tell me that I am going to be arrested. That’s rubbish.”
He said he had attended voluntarily and had not been summoned.
Chairperson Lekganyane thanked members for restraining themselves and said the committee would seek advice from Parliamentary Legal Services.
He also addressed allegations made last July by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, describing a media briefing as “not only dishonest but also divisive”.
He was responding to a question from DA MP Iam Cameron.
He said the briefing was intended to distract attention from issues within the police in KwaZulu-Natal.
Relationship with Sibiya
O’Sullivan denied any improper relationship with the suspended deputy national police commissioner for crime detection, Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya.
“My relationship with General Shadrack Sibiya is strictly professional; we only ever shared a braai together,” he said.
He added that he did not know where Sibiya lived and had never shared a restaurant meal with him.
Sibiya was suspended after Mkhwanazi made allegations about the alleged capture and shielding of criminal networks within the police service.
The committee adjourned and was expected to continue with testimony from former national police commissioner Kgomotso Phahlane.
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