Arrest Warrant Issued for South African Police Chief

An arrest warrant has been issued for South Africa's national police commissioner, Jackie Selebi, the state broadcaster reported today.

The move follows a damning series of accusations against Mr Selebi, who is also president of Interpol, the international police organization. They include a 144-page dossier submitted to detectives by a former British military intelligence agent who accuses the national police commissioner of "wining and dining the mafia set" and of protecting criminal interests.

The South African National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) issued the warrant, according to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

The broadcaster said the warrant was secured last Thursday by the head of the NPA, Vusi Pikoli, before he was suspended by the country's president, Thabo Mbeki, over an unrelated matter.

A search and seizure order has also been obtained from the Pretoria high court, said the broadcaster.

Mr Selebi is under investigation by the Scorpions, the South African agency that investigates organized crime.

The controversy centers on the murder of Brett Kebble, a corrupt South African mining magnate who was shot six times in his Mercedes last year by a team of assassins. The motive is not yet known but Kebble stole millions of pounds from his mining companies and had close ties to criminal syndicates.

Last November the Scorpions arrested Glen Agliotti, a man described in police files as the head of a multi million pound drug syndicate and other organized crime rackets, for allegedly organizing the murder. Mr Agliotti not only worked for Kebble but is a longstanding friend of Mr Selebi.