A unit commander of the Durban organised crime, Colonel Gavin Jacob, has denied any involvement in the 2021 drug theft in KZN.
Image: Kamogelo Moichela / IOL News
Colonel Gavin Jacob has conceded that the polygraph test he once used to support his innocence in a R200 million cocaine theft probe may be unreliable after similar tests were found to contain errors.
Jacob made the admission while testifying before the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday, where he firmly denied any involvement in the disappearance of 541kg of cocaine from a Hawks storage facility in Port Shepstone in 2021.
Jacob told the commission he had no knowledge of security shortcomings at the facility and had never participated in the theft.
“I must add that I bore no knowledge, nor am I involved in the theft of the drugs. I was questioned and polygraphed about this incident. I passed the polygraph test,” Jacob testified.
He then acknowledged growing doubts surrounding the reliability of the examinations.“But now I understand it does not carry enough weight.”
His remarks came as the commission continued to unpack serious concerns about the handling of polygraph testing linked to the high-profile investigation.
Commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga questioned the reliability of the results after evidence emerged that some tests may have been compromised by procedural flaws and examiner mistakes.
The issue took centre stage on Tuesday when Hawks Warrant Officer Karl Sander broke down during testimony after learning that a disputed polygraph test, which had cast suspicion over him for years, had been declared invalid.
Sander had previously been told he failed the examination in connection with the cocaine theft.
However, the commission heard that the results could not be relied upon because of significant errors committed by the examiner.
The revelations have raised fresh questions about the integrity of key aspects of the investigation.
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