TRC Roulette : Khampepe probe — Selebi ordered TRC files sealed, says ‘master file’ keeper Louis Bester
The retired police colonel has told the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry that the then national commissioner, Jackie Selebi, ordered 10 boxes of TRC files sealed amid allegations that a disputed memorandum had been altered to suggest prosecutors planned to arrest senior ANC figures, including Thabo Mbeki.
Louis Bester, keeper of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) master file, testified before the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry that national commissioner Jackie Selebi had instructed him to seal 10 boxes of TRC files in 2007. Selebi alleged that a disputed memorandum, authored by advocate Anton Ackermann, had been altered to suggest prosecutors planned to arrest senior ANC figures, including then-president Thabo Mbeki.
Bester, whose role was strictly limited to safeguarding official documents and conducting forensic analysis, denied any personal involvement in prosecuting high-profile political figures. The memorandum, which tracked the status of TRC dockets, had been drafted in 2003 but was allegedly tampered with to support allegations of an impending arrest of the "ANC 37".
The commission requested detailed records related to the investigation, including Bester's formal request for forensic analysis and approval for hiring independent consultants.
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