North West businessman Suliman Carrim is expected to return to the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, where questioning is likely to extend into his broader history of government-linked business dealings.
His reappearance follows a week of exchanges that raised questions about the scope of the commission’s inquiry and the extent to which it may examine a witness’s private commercial interests.
Sources familiar with the proceedings say Carrim may be asked to account for how his companies secured state work over several years, beyond the transactions and relationships already placed before the commission.
During his previous appearance, Carrim’s counsel, Rafik Bhana, objected to lines of questioning he said were not connected to the commission’s mandate.
“…any attempt to ask questions which are not relevant or rationally connected to the purpose of the commission and its mandate… transgresses the principles of legality…” Bhana told the commission.
Evidence leader Matthew Chaskalson responded that the commission is entitled to examine the movement of funds and relationships where they may relate to corruption or influence within law enforcement structures.
“…we are interested in… how the proceeds of crime move… whether what we are looking at here is a criminal syndicate…” he said.
The dispute continued into the following day, where commission counsel Adv Sesi Baloyi said the inquiry expects witnesses to disclose all relevant business interests, including those not expressly identified in the commission’s notice.
“…the commission is interested in the entities that he has got… I would have expected that he would speak to all the entities, including ones that are not mentioned…”
Bhana maintained that Carrim’s obligations are defined by the summons and notice issued to him.
“The witness is guided by what he is required to deal with in the summons and in the notice…”
The commission’s chairperson, retired judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga, allowed the questioning to proceed, indicating that the issue of relevance could be addressed at a later stage.
“At this stage, I will allow the line of questioning… we are not closing the window…,” Madlanga said.
Carrim’s return to the stand is expected to bring these issues into sharper focus as the commission continues to examine relationships, financial flows and access to state contracts linked to matters before it.
Carrim declined to comment.
Responding to queries, commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels said the inquiry was acting strictly within its legal mandate.
“The commission has clear terms of reference as outlined in a proclamation dated 23 July 2025, as amended, which is publicly available,” Michaels said.
He added: “The commission does not publicly discuss how it intends to question witnesses.”
- North West businessman Suliman Carrim is set to return to the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality and Corruption.
- The inquiry will likely explore his broader history of government-linked business dealings.
- Carrim has been previously questioned in the commission regarding his activities.
- The Judicial Commission focuses on criminality and corruption within the criminal justice system.
- Further details are available in the Sunday World e-edition.
