2006年VOA标准英语-South African Police Chief Drawn In to Organize

By Delia Robertson
Johannesburg
17 November 2006

South Africa's national police commissioner¹ has become embroiled² in a major organized crime investigation³ following the arrest of a friend of his on charges of murder and conspiracy⁴ to murder. The development has prompted renewed calls for the commissioner to resign.

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Glenn Agliotti leaves Johannesburg Magistrate's Court,  Nov. 16, 2006  
  
Businessman Glenn Agliotti was arrested this week on charges of murder and conspiracy to murder in the death of mining magnate Brett Kebble 14 months ago.

Agliotti and Kebble were friends and business associates and both were on friendly terms with National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi.

Following Kebble's death, it was discovered that he had been involved in fraudulent business deals totaling nearly $1 billion and that he owed $25 million in unpaid⁵ taxes.

Agliotti's arrest follows months of speculation⁶ that he was involved in the death of Kebble, who is believed to have been killed because his business empire was about to collapse⁷ and his illegal dealings exposed.

The events this week have prompted widespread calls from opposition⁸ parties that Police commissioner Selebi resign, or at least take a leave of absence, until the case is concluded.

But Johan Burger, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in Johannesburg, said that it may be too soon to demand Selebi's resignation.

"In all fairness to the national commissioner no allegations of any criminal activity against him have so far been brought forward," he said.

"The only worrying fact in this whole saga⁹, is that he has aligned¹⁰ himself with someone who is the focus of a criminal investigation. So to expect him to step down completely is perhaps a little premature¹¹ at this stage I think," he added.

In spite of all the speculation, there has been no evidence of wrongdoing by the commissioner, and last week the cabinet said it had complete confidence in him. But there has been widespread concern about some of his associations and about the investigation.

 
Jackie Selebi  
  
In May of this year, the Mail and Guardian¹² newspaper reported that a lengthy¹³ investigation had allegedly revealed ties and links between Commissioner Selebi and a number of individuals with connections to Kebble and Agliotti.

The newspaper also reported that some of the individuals were, or had been, the subject of other criminal investigations¹⁴.

In addition, the newspaper reported that, according to mobile phone records in its possession, Agliotti had telephoned Selebi soon after Kebble's murder from the general vicinity of the murder.

Both men said their calls to each other that evening were related to Agliotti seeking Selebi's assistance in speeding up the start of the police investigation.

Of more concern to many South Africans, however, is the removal of the vehicle in which Kebble had been killed from police custody¹⁵ before completion of the forensic¹⁶ examination.

The vehicle was removed on the instructions of an individual with ties to both Agliotti and Selebi. It was subsequently returned to the police, but only after it had been thoroughly¹⁷ cleaned.

1 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

2 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

5 unpaid   

adj.未付款的，无报酬的

参考例句：

• Doctors work excessive unpaid overtime.医生过度加班却无报酬。
• He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm.他正在一家工程公司无偿工作一个月以获得工作经验。

6 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

7 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 saga   

n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇

参考例句：

• The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。
• The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。

10 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

11 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

12 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

13 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

14 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

15 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

16 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

17 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。