Judge Desai asked about rape charge in Public Protector interview
One of the more high-profile candidates for the position of Public Protector, Judge Siraj Desai, faced a grilling from Members of Parliament on Wednesday.
Fourteen candidates are vying for the Public Protector position and are being interviewed in Parliament by the ad hoc committee tasked to find a replacement for Advocate Thuli Madonsela.
The process kicked off before 8.00 am and is expected to last until around midnight.
Desai was asked about a rape charge he faced in India in 2004 - an allegation that was eventually withdrawn.
"I was never acquitted, I was not convicted either. What happened was that the allegation against me was withdrawn under oath, but in India - in terms of the Indian penal code - an offense such as that cannot be compounded. It means it cannot be withdrawn," he said.
When asked about the independence of the Public Protector, Desai said it is of vital importance.
"It should not only be independent from government, it should also be independent from other interest groups. It should actually operate on its own in the sense that it is accountable only to the constitution and to South Africa," he said.