Publication: Cape Times Issued: Date: 2006-10-13 Reporter: Wendy Jasson da Costa Reporter: Reporter:

Mbeki Calls Holomisa's Bluff on Arms Deal Query

 

Publication 

Cape Times
Date

2006-10-13

Reporter

 Wendy Jasson da Costa

Web Link

www.capetimes.co.za

 

President Thabo Mbeki yesterday professed innocence of any wrongdoing in the controversial arms deal and challenged parliament to investigate him *1.

Responding to UDM leader Bantu Holomisa during the quarterly presidential question and answer session in the National Assembly, Mbeki said the executive did not have veto powers to stop parliament from investigating him.

"[However], they are not going to find this corruption they are fishing for. It doesn't exist," Mbeki said yesterday.

Holomisa said there were "repeated insinuations" about the president's involvement in the process and questions regarding meetings with one of the bidders at a critical time in the process *2.

He said the matter had been of interest to the German prosecuting authorities and the media during Mbeki's last visit to that country.

He questioned whether Mbeki would allow a preliminary investigation to verify "the authenticity or otherwise" of these persistent rumours *1.

"It is this house, I submit, that elects the president and this house that should be tasked with such a preliminary investigation," said Holomisa.

He suggested that perhaps the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence could liaise with the Office of the President to conduct such a preliminary investigation.

But the president called Holomisa's bluff.

"By all means let them try but they wouldn't find it..... there's no substance to these stories, honourable Holomisa, none whatsoever, and I suspect I know why rumours are being told *3," the president said.

He told Holomisa that if he were to write to the German ministry of justice or government about the issue they would be "very, very puzzled *5" that German prosecutors were involved in such an investigation.

"But ask them, don't take my word for it," said Mbeki.

With acknowledgements to Wendy Jasson da Costa and Cape Times.


*1       Just do it.


*2      This is fact borne out by a litany of documentary records admitted in the High Court as factual and as oral evidence under oath by one Pierre Jean-Marie Robert Moynot, local representative of the bidder in question.


*3      Well, out with it.


*4      It is a fact that both the German criminal investigators and the German tax authorities are investigating payments made by Thyssen Rheinstal Technik TRT) and MAN-Ferrostaal to South African recipients, such payment being in respect of success fees for the German Frigate Consortium (of whom TRT was the lead financial member) winning the corvette contract and German Submarine Consortium (of whom Ferrostaal was the lead financial member) winning the submarine contract.

But ask them, don't take my word for it.]


*5      The only thing that is very, very puzzling is that the South African prosecutors are not involved in such an investigation *6.


*6      Oh, but according to Minister Alec Erwin and the Annointed One himself, but they were involved in an investigation way back in 2000 and 2001 when The Main Jackass, the National Director of Public Prosecutions and Two Other Stooges, the Auditor-General and the Public Protector (together making up the Joint Investigating Team) after which they issued a Joint Report finding all in government innocent of any wrongdoing - making this the biggest cover-up in the history of South Africa since the Ice Age.