Cape Town — The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the dismissal of former Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Matric Luphondo, following an arbitration process.
The NPA said it was happy to see Luphondo dismissed as it showed its commitment to rooting out corruption from within its ranks. Luphondo faced serious charges that ranged from bribery to bringing the NPA into disrepute after he was found guilty of offering a bribe to a senior State Advocate in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court in an attempt to have his case against a senior government official withdrawn, it said in a statement.
The allegations against Luphondo are serious violations of the NPA’s Code of Ethics.
“The NPA adheres to strict anti-corruption policies and practices and has a zero-tolerance approach to corruption within its ranks. Adocate Luphondo, in particular, should have acted at all times with the highest ethical standards and exercised his duties without fear, favour or prejudice,” NPA spokesperson, Mthunzi Mhaga, said.
They reiterated that Luphondo’s dismissal showed its commitment to rooting out corruption, especially within its senior ranks.
Adv Matric Luphondo’s dismissal demonstrates NPA’s commitment to rooting out corruption within its ranks pic.twitter.com/AxvSRfBioP
— NPASouthAfrica (@NPA_Prosecutes) August 2, 2024
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Mhaga said they were taken aback that the NPA’s reputational image was dented by the occurrence but was comforted that the dismissal showed the brand’s anti-corruption drive. He said Luphondo has rights to follow but they were pleased with the call.
“He had explored all avenues, brought a lot of applications challenging the impartiality of the presiding officer, which was dismissed, and he had lawyers withdrawing as attorneys of record, which were dismissed,” he said.
He added that they are now awaiting criminal proceedings that are pending before the Pretoria High Court, and they are hoping for a conviction. Mhaga also said the they could not rule out the possibility of more corrupt officials within the organisation, but said it would deal with them accordingly if any evidence should arise.
He added that when Luphondo gets evicted and imprisonment, it would bring back some reputational dignity back to the NPA
The NPA has welcomed the dismissal of its former acting director Adv. Matric Luphondo is currently facing charges at the North Gauteng High Court. Luphondo was found guilty at his dismissal hearing for offering a bribe to a senior state advocate to withdraw a case against a… pic.twitter.com/9p9lmRzNiu
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 2, 2024
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
