Johannesburg - The national Director of Public Prosecutions, advocate Bulelani Ngcuka, will investigate the possibility of forcing the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) to hand over names and information in its possession to the team investigating the R43-billion arms deal.  

Ngcuka said that the information could be crucial to the investigation, adding that the Constitution states that persons with information about a crime that has been committed should make it public. Ngcuka's reaction came after the PAC stated at a press conference in Pretoria on Tuesday that it had the names of "no fewer than five senior ANC members" involved in the arms deal.  

It said it had given the names to certain media so that they could investigate the five's involvement in the R43 billion arms deal. No names were supplied to News24, although the publication believes it knows the name of at least one of those likely to be named.  

Generally, there appears to be much confusion about the issue within PAC ranks. "We decided this morning that we will not make any media comment. We need to manage this process in the best way to attain the best result," senior PAC MP Patricia de Lille said on Wednesday.  

She said PAC officials were meeting and would issue a statement around noon on "a strategy as to how to manage the process." She said she doubted the party's comments had significantly affected the rand, but added: "One has to take these things into account."  

In remarks carried by the Star newspaper on Wednesday, Treasury Director Maria Ramos accused the PAC of spreading rumours which helped push the rand sharply lower against the US dollar on Tuesday. The currency, which has lost more than 20 percent of its value against the US unit in the past year, sank more than 16 cents to 8.1625 against the dollar late on Tuesday. Dealers said euro weakness was partly to blame, as was speculation over which members of government may be implicated in the arms scandal.  

At Tuesday's media conference, PAC secretary-general Thami ka Plaatjie admitted that it could be considered 'rash' to pass the names of alleged suspects to the media, while de Lille said no decision had been taken by the PAC to give information to specific newspaper groups.  

Calls by News24 to De Lille on Tuesday remained unanswered. De Lille also said in her statement on Tuesday that although the PAC knows the identity of an MP who may be involved, it has no intention of naming the person. "I heard from a newspaper that another senior ANC MP will be named," she said. "The PAC does not have the capacity to do the investigation itself, but it is in the public interest to make the information public."  

News24 is currently running a vote on whether the PAC should now name the "high officials" it claims were involved irregularly in the awarding of the contract. By mid-morning, an overwhelming 83% of readers who participated in the vote said the PAC should name the suspects to prove its credibility.  

At Tuesday's media conference, Plaatjie said the PAC was advised by counsel not to name the ANC member, because the PAC will be "subject to civil action". 

With acknowledgement to News24.