File
The National Prosecuting Authority has welcomed the dismissal of former Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, advocate Matric Luphondo following an arbitration process.
NPA spokesperson, Advocate Mthunzi Mhaga, said he faced serious charges ranging from bribery, to bringing the NPA into disrepute.
This was after Luphondo was found guilty of offering a bribe to a senior state advocate in the Pretoria Magistrates Court to withdraw a case against a senior government official in the Mpumalanga Department of Human Settlements.
Mhaga said the allegations of bribery, alternatively gross dishonesty, against Luphondo amount to a contravention of clause 4.3.4 (a) of the NPA Code of Ethics.
“The NPA adheres to strict anti-corruption policies and practices and has a zero-tolerance approach to corruption within its ranks.
“The dismissal of Adv Luphondo demonstrates the NPA’s commitment to rooting out corruption and ensuring accountability, including within its own senior ranks,” Mhaga said.
Meanwhile, the criminal trial against advocate Luphondo is underway at the Pretoria High Court.
