Focus will fall on editing of first draft
- Political Correspondent

Cape Town - Auditor-general Shauket Fakie will be called before Parliament's public accounts committee to respond to allegations that he left out vital evidence of material irregularities from the final report of the investigation into the arms deal.

Fakie has either denied that he removed sections of the draft report, which indicated the occurrence of irregularities after he met the cabinet, or has argued that he was legally obliged to do so in terms of the Auditor-General Act.

Speaker of the National Assembly Frene Ginwala has written to the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) saying that it was within its mandate to conduct the investigation.

The committee could then submit a report to the National Assembly for its consideration.

Ginwala said Fakie had come to see her and "seemed anxious" to answer the allegations. "I suggested he go to Scopa and respond to the allegations."

Fakie said that he would go along with whatever course Parliament decided to take to deal with the matter.

Legal adviser David Ramurunzi told the committee last week that parliamentary rules empowered the committee to investigate allegations of impropriety to the effect that the final report of the arms deal investigation was allegedly edited and the reasons for the editing.

"The auditor-general could be called to answer questions in this regard," Ramurunzi said.

"If need be, in the event of possible disclosure of sensitive or confidential information, the committee can invoke National Assembly rules by excluding the public (including the media) from the proceedings and prohibiting publication or disclosure of the proceedings."

Ramurunzi advised caution in the light of the sub judice rule as there were a number of court cases emanating from the arms deal that were still pending.

Committee chairman Francois Beukman said he would table Ginwala's letter at a committee meeting on June 18 when the terms of reference of the inquiry would be discussed.

"My approach will be to run an open and transparent process and to place huge emphasis on the legal opinion.

"It is likely that the focus will be the extent of the editing of the first draft," Beukman said.

Democratic Alliance MP Brian Bell prompted the committee to write to Ginwala with a recommendation that it investigate the allegations that suggested Parliament had been misled during hearings on the findings of the joint investigating team into the arms deal.

Ginwala said the issues at stake did not lend themselves for a parliamentary debate. The African National Congress was opposed to the formation of an ad hoc, multiparty committee as proposed by the DA, so this option had fallen away.

With acknowledgements to Linda Ensor and the Business Day.