Publication: Sapa Issued: Parliament Date: 2005-01-11 Reporter: Sapa

DA Wants AG Summoned

 

Publication 

Sapa
ARMS-DA 

Issued

Parliament

Date

2005-01-11

Reporter

Sapa

 

The Democratic Alliance has demanded that Auditor General Shauket Fakie be summoned before a parliamentary committee to answer questions on new revelations on his arms deal report.

DA public accounts spokesman Eddie Trent said on Tuesday he had written to Speaker Baleka Mbete asking for an urgent meeting of Parliament's committee on the office of the AG.

On Monday, he wrote to President Thabo Mbeki asking for a commission of inquiry into revelations that there had been material changes between Fakie's draft report and the final version, which cleared government of irregularities in the multi-billion rand deal.

Trent said on Tuesday the AG should answer allegations that following a meeting between himself and Mbeki, passages were added in the final version of the report which did not appear in any earlier drafts.

Fakie said it was claimed that these passages included a declaration that there were no flaws in the government's contracting position, and that the president and late defence minister Joe Modise had not been involved in irregularities.

It was also alleged that objections of several senior defence force members to the buying of Hawk and Gripen fighter planes documented in the earlier drafts of the report were removed in the final version; that deviations from tender procedures recorded in the earlier draft were downplayed or omitted; and that minutes of meetings, reports of intimidation of officials, and other details were also omitted or altered.

"The Auditor General should also explain why he was only willing to make the earlier drafts of the arms deal report available for public scrutiny on pain of contempt of court charges," he said.

"Finally, he needs to explain why he took the unprecedented step of tabling a special report to Parliament viciously attacking three opposition MPs for suggesting he had made changes to the arms deal investigation report.

"If the above allegations are true, it will mean he has deliberately misled and lied to Parliament."

Parliamentary media liaison officer Lulamile Mapholoba said the Speaker was on leave until February 1 and would deal with the matter when she returned.

With acknowledgement to Sapa.