Cape Town - Associate editor Ranjeni Munusamy has been placed on special leave by the Tiso Blackstar Group after allegations against her emerged at the Zondo Commission of inquiry.
In a statement on Wednesday, the media house said Munusamy had not been employed by them during the time period of the allegations.
"We adhere to the doctrine of presumption of innocence until proven guilty and the principles of natural justice that include hearing both sides of the story. However, we have granted her special leave considering the gravity of these allegations. The editor of the Sunday Times, Bongani Siqoko, commenced with internal investigations on Wednesday as soon as the commission notified Munusamy of these allegations.
"The company will make a final decision on this matter following the conclusion of its own internal investigations, taking into consideration the company’s interests, its policies and Munusamy’s rights," the statement read.
Munusamy will reportedly deny the allegations and is consulting lawyers to draft a response.
In testimony before the commission, an amount of over R140,000 was allegedly paid from a police crime intelligence secret slush fund in 2008 to settle a vehicle loan in her name.