‘I Am Finished’: Paul O’Sullivan Storms Out of Parliament Hearing After Heated Clash

The testimony of forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan before Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee came to a dramatic and abrupt end on Thursday when he gathered his belongings and walked out of the proceedings mid-hearing.

O’Sullivan had returned to the committee on Thursday morning to conclude his testimony, after it had previously been suspended due to illness. But from the start, the session was fraught with tension.

The Spark

Since the beginning of Thursday’s proceedings, O’Sullivan had been engaged in contentious exchanges with committee members. MK Party MP David Skosana repeatedly labelled him “a spy and a thug”accusations O’Sullivan vehemently denied.

“I am not a spy, and I have never been a spy. I have served this country well and faithfully for 36 years,” O’Sullivan said.

The Flight Factor

As committee advocate Bongiwe Mkhize was questioning him, O’Sullivan repeatedly raised the time, stating that he had to leave the hearing by 1pm because he would miss his flight and would have to personally bear the cost of rescheduling.

While Mkhize was wrapping up her questions, O’Sullivan stood up, gathered his things, and began walking out.

The Crashout

EFF leader Julius Malema told him to sit down, as he had not been dismissed. Skosana then stood up and warned that they would open a case against him for walking out.

“You are walking out,” both Malema and Skosana said.

O’Sullivan’s reply was curt: “I am finished.”

Malema pointed out that the decision to end his testimony needed to be made by the committee chair, Soviet Lekganyane. But O’Sullivan kept walkingpast the members of Parliament and out of the proceedings.

What Happens Next

Once O’Sullivan had left, Lekganyane asked committee members to weigh in. It was decided that they would seek guidance from Parliamentary legal services on how to proceed.

The abrupt exit leaves the committee’s work incomplete and raises questions about whether O’Sullivan can be compelled to returnand what consequences, if any, he might face for walking out.

The Context

The Ad Hoc Committee is investigating allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. O’Sullivan’s testimony was considered crucial to the inquiry.

Now, with the witness having walked out mid-testimony, the committee faces a procedural headacheand a very public display of frustration from a man who said he was “finished.”

{Source: IOL}

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