By Dumoh Dumoh, aagvgu.co.za | Cape Town, February 27, 2026
In a bold stand against parliamentary pressure, renowned forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan has vowed not to hand himself over to police, even if the National Assembly Speaker opens a criminal case against him for dramatically walking out of an Ad Hoc Committee hearing.
Speaking exclusively to aagvgu.co.za, O’Sullivan dismissed threats of arrest as “political theatre.” “I will not surrender to the police. Leaving that circus of a hearing doesn’t constitute a crime – it’s my right,” he declared from his Johannesburg base. The standoff stems from Thursday’s chaotic session, where O’Sullivan, summoned to testify on high-profile corruption probes, abruptly exited amid what he called “hostile grandstanding” by committee members.
The Ad Hoc Committee, probing state capture remnants, accused O’Sullivan of contempt for his mid-hearing departure. Sources close to Speaker Thoko Didiza reveal she may authorize a police docket as early as next week, potentially charging him under parliamentary privilege laws.
O’Sullivan, no stranger to controversy, has spearheaded investigations into figures like Ace Magashule and Gwede Mantashe. “They want to silence independent voices exposing rot in the system,” he charged. “This is intimidation, not justice.”
Legal experts are divided. Constitutional lawyer Paul Hoffman praised O’Sullivan’s defiance as a defence of free speech, while parliamentary watcher Dr. Sipho Seepe warned it could erode institutional authority.
As tensions simmer ahead of next week’s State of the Nation Address, O’Sullivan’s refusal spotlights deepening rifts between watchdogs and power brokers. Will police pursue? Or is this another saga in South Africa’s endless accountability battle?