The Madlanga Commission has heard that medical certificate of Deputy Crime Intelligence head Feroz Khan was amend er even after the police saw it.
Image: Itumeleng English/ ANA Studio
Major-General Feroz Khan’s bid to delay his appearance at the country commission has come under fire after evidence leader Advocate Adila Hassim alleged that a medical certificate submitted to police was later backdated and amended.
Khan, the Crime Intelligence deputy, was subpoenaed to appear before the Madlanga Commission on Tuesday over allegations that he manipulated tenders and pulled strings for the other forces.
Instead, his lawyer, Mohamed Vally, told the commission that Khan had been admitted to hospital and sought a postponement.
The commission’s evidence leaders did not oppose a delay outright but wanted Khan to undergo an independent medical assessment before further proceedings.
Hassim then put the disputed medical certificate before the commission, drawing attention to inconsistencies in the dates and medical information recorded on the document.
She said Khan’s treating doctor initially issued a certificate dated May 22 stating that he was expected to be fit to return to work on June 30.
However, another certificate produced on August 20 allegedly changed the return-to-work date to June 27 and added a diagnosis of extreme stress, and depression.
“There is already an incident of concern that we have brought to the commission's attention in the answering affidavit because it concerned an incident of backdating and amending a medical certificate by Khan's treating doctor,” Hassim said.
The evidence was contained in public court papers linked to Khan’s Labour Court challenge against his disciplinary inquiry.
The challenge was dismissed on August 31 for lack of jurisdiction.
According to an affidavit by the doctor who issued the original certificate, Khan’s son had approached him and requested that the date be changed.
The doctor allegedly believed the request involved “some minor bureaucratic difficulties” and initially did not seek further explanation.
But the doctor later warned Khan’s son that changing the certificate could amount to fraud if the original document had already been submitted to the police.
The son allegedly contacted Khan, who then confirmed that the original certificate had not been submitted.
Hassim strongly disputed this account.
She told the commission that SAPS, through Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo, had already received the certificate and had asked Khan for further information about his diagnosis — not for the date on the certificate to be altered.
“The certificate had already been submitted,” Hassim said. “It was a lie.”
Vally rejected the relevance of the document, describing it as a “historical medical record” unrelated to the shooting.
But Hassim argued that the disputed medical history, delays in Khan’s appearance and an outstanding statement made an independent medical assessment necessary.
Commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga was not persuaded by the arguments advanced by Khan’s legal team.
He declined, however, to compel Khan to undergo an independent medical examination and also refused to grant an unconditional postponement.
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