Public Interest SA has taken the significant step of lodging a formal complaint with the Legal Practice Council (LPC), calling for a disciplinary investigation into the conduct of Advocate Andrea Johnson, Head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC). The complaint follows evidence and concessions made during proceedings before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which raise serious questions about Johnson’s adherence to the ethical and professional standards required of legal practitioners and senior public prosecutors.
According to a media statement by Public Interest SA, the complaint raises serious concerns regarding Johnson’s fitness to continue practising as a legal practitioner and serving as South Africa’s foremost anti-corruption prosecutor.
“We contend that aspects of her conduct are fundamentally incompatible with the ethical obligations imposed upon legal practitioners, her duties as an officer of the court, and the standards expected of the head of a specialised anti-corruption prosecuting body. Among the issues raised in our complaint are allegations that protected disclosures made by a complainant in a criminal matter involving a senior SAPS Crime Intelligence officer were unlawfully disclosed, thereby compromising the integrity of the reporting process and potentially placing lives, livelihoods and the administration of justice at risk. Johnson invoked her right against self-incrimination,” reads the statement.
The statement further reads that Public Interest SA will formally request the State Security Agency to review Advocate Johnson’s security vetting and to revoke, where appropriate and lawful, any top-secret security clearance she presently holds, having regard to the serious concerns that have emerged regarding her conduct.
Photo: Public Interest SA/Facebook
