09/02/2004 12:11 - (SA)


Pretoria - The head of Pretoria Local Prison, Nico Baloyi, denied on Monday having colluded to fabricate evidence to mislead the Jali Commission of Inquiry into prison maladministration.

"I wish to state on record that I am being wrongly accused," Baloyi told commission chair Thabane Jali, and pledged his full co-operation with the probe.

Evidence leader Graham Barlow last week told the commission that Baloyi had been implicated in an alleged attempt to fabricate evidence to discredit witness Louis Karp.

Karp, a homosexual who prefers to be called Louisa, claims to have been raped and abused while awaiting trail for car theft in Baloyi's prison in 2001 and 2002.

Baloyi on Monday also denied that he ever swore at Karp or that he was prejudiced against gay people.

"I have no problems regarding gay people. I treat all prisoners equally," he said.

Baloyi denied that he had locked Karp up in isolation as a punishment for complaining against warders.

He had put Karp in a single cell the first time for escaping from prison and the second time for attempting to do so again, the prison head said.

The third time he place Karp in isolation was to protect him from a fellow prisoner Karp had accused of raping him.