Letters

On June 22, I was asked by the deputy speaker of the National Assembly to withdraw my statement raising questions about the president’s apparent involvement in irregularities in the arms deal. I refused and was ordered to leave the House.

I refused to withdraw the statement because of the profound implications of the information contained in faxes I presented to the house.

I have submitted formal parliamentary questions to President Thabo Mbeki asking him to explain the evidence that appears to indicate that, in his role as chairman of the ministerial committee responsible for the arms procurement process, he acted in a highly irregular manner.

My statement and questions are based on two encrypted faxes which raise serious questions about the president’s conduct in the arms procurement process.

The first gives the impression that the president assured Thomsons executives (via Chippy Shaik) in 1997 that they would be awarded the combat suite contract, before the tender process was complete.

The second fax indicates that Mbeki met secretly with Thomsons executives in Paris in December 1998. If such a meeting took place, it would constitute a gross violation of accepted tender processes.

As chairman of the ministerial committee, the president was responsible for the final awarding of all the arms deal contracts.

A meeting of this nature would have created an enormous conflict of interest for the president and would cast a dark cloud over the integrity of the entire process.

It is in the best interests of all South Africans that the president explains whether such a meeting took place, whether he conveyed any assurances to Thomsons that they would be awarded the combat suite contract, and if so, why?

The ball is firmly in the president’s court. Unless he takes the nation into his confidence about the information contained in these faxes, his commitment to fighting corruption will continue to be viewed with skepticism.

Eddie Trent MP Democratic Alliance spokesman on the arms deal.

With acknowledgements to Eddie Trent and Business Day.