R2K Statement: Withdraw charges against journalists and amend the NPA Act now
It is with grave concern that we learn today of the formal criminal charges placed on M&G journalists Sam Sole, Stefaans Brummer and Nic Dawes. Through their investigations Brummer and Sole uncovered corrupt activities linked to the office of the presidential spokesperson Mr Mac Maharaj. Since then Mr Maharaj has chosen to press criminal charges against them through the provisions of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Act (see our statement from November 2011), and this latest development shows that the Hawks are pursuing an investigation. Section 41 of the NPA Act imposes a fine or a jail term of up to 15 years for disclosure of information gathered during an NPA investigation. Importantly, this particular provision of the law has no accompanying public interest defence.
