Correctional Services Minister Sibusiso Ndebele announced that disgraced former police commissioner, Jackie Selebi will be released from prison today.

On 2 July 2010 Selebi was convicted of corruption and handed his 15-year sentence. After serving only a fraction of his sentence, he will be released from prison today following medical complications.

“The department has limited capacity to provide for palliative care needed by some offenders,” said Ndebele.

“Mr Selebi will be going home today [Friday],” he told a media briefing in Pretoria.

He is amongst a group of six other prisoners who all received recommendations for their release following a meeting  of an 11-member medical parole advisory board which met on 20 June. Selebi suffers from diabetes and kidney failure, and is in need of dialysis for the latter. He will be placed under palliative care to make comfortable until his death as there is “no hope of him recovering”.

Selebi was accused, and later convicted, of receiving money from convicted drug trafficker and police informer Glenn Agliotti. Selebi was the president of Interpol at the time and appealed the ruling. In December 2011, upon hearing his appeal was denied on television, Selebi collapsed in his Waterkloof home. The ruling meant his sentence could commence and it was decided that he would serve it in Pretoria Central prison’s medical wing.

Although Selebi had been trained to administer his own treatments, and had initially not instructed his medical team for medical parole, it appears that his condition has since deteriorated to the extent that he requires palliative care.

[Source: Times LIVE, M&G]