The Public Protector's Office has filed an interlocutory complaint against former Public Protector lawyer Busisiswe Mkhwebane.
The office alleges that Mkhwebane wrongly commenced contempt proceedings while the review application was still pending.
Mkhwebane is seeking compensation running into millions of rands, which she claims is owed to her.
The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria began hearing the case on Wednesday following an application for interlocutory action filed by defendants in the main suit, the Public Protector's Office and incumbent lawyer Koleka Galeka.
This comes after Mkhwebane filed a contempt case against Gkaleka over a record that he described as incomplete.
Lawyers representing Mkhwebane argue this amounts to malicious submission and contempt of court.
The former Public Protector subsequently amended the notice of motion filed in response to the main application.
In April, Judge Colleen Collis ordered the Public Protector's Office and Mr Galeka to hand over the records to Mkhwebane and made a punitive costs order, finding they were entirely to blame for not doing enough to allow the main application to be heard.
Gkareka and the Public Protector's Office are seeking to have the application set aside in accordance with Article 30 of the Uniform Rules of Court, which provides that a party to a proceeding where another party has taken an unlawful step may apply to the court to have the proceeding set aside.
The Public Protector also told the court that the allegations made by her predecessor were merely aimed at punishing and harassing her.
Further application details are provided in the report below:
