WATCH: Madlanga Commission probes public-official vetting as anti-corruption expert Laura Pop takes the stand - IOL

Anti-corruption expert Laura Pop testifies at the Madlanga Commission on Wednesday.

Scrutiny of how public officials are vetted and required to disclose their finances is set to intensify at the Madlanga Commission, with anti-corruption and asset-recovery specialist Laura Pop testifying on the matter.

Pop, who works for the World Bank and collaborates with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), is expected to address systems designed to identify integrity risks among public officials.

Her appearance follows testimony from Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) Head of Internal Affairs Superintendent Elmarie de Beer, who told the commission on Tuesday that investigators had uncovered alleged links between some officers and criminal syndicates.

De Beer also described intimidation of internal-affairs investigators and alleged operational manipulation within specialised units.

She said internal investigations had identified a pattern of co-operation between certain JMPD members and outside criminal elements.

The Tactical Response Unit, Special Patrol Units and K9 Unit were among the units most frequently implicated in reported misconduct.