Ambassador questioned over role in organising talks with French weapons company

‘Barbara also explained that, for ethical reasons, it was not possible for her to be in a direct business relationship with a French company’

South African Ambassador to the US Barbara Masekela is under pressure to spill the beans about a meeting she facilitated between President Thabo Mbeki and a French arms company.

The Sunday Times has established that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has questioned Masekela twice about a 1998 meeting she arranged between Mbeki and the company Thint, now a co-accused in the Jacob Zuma corruption trial. Masekela was ambassador to France at the time.

Masekela told associates of hers in South Africa that the NPA wanted to know from her what she knew about the meeting she facilitated between Mbeki, other South African officials and the French company in 1998.

She may be called to testify during Zuma’s trial, placing her in a difficult position, say those close to her. Her testimony could implicate Mbeki who has told Parliament that he could not “recall” any such meeting.

Last month, Mbeki’s office stated that he had no recollection of a meeting held with the company, but said if such a meeting did take place it must have been “in a situation with others or of such import that it held no meaningful significance”.

But it has emerged that the meeting did take place and that it allegedly related to the awarding of the Corvette Combat Suite contract.

The French company’s senior vice-president, B de Bollardiere, wrote a letter to Mbeki dated December 18 1998, a day after the meeting, stating that the company was “very much honoured by the audience you granted to us during your last stay in Paris and we deeply appreciated your advice related to the present situation in South Africa, no doubt that it will help us to increase our visibility and therefore help the development of our operations in your country”.

While the NPA has maintained that it has not found any evidence of wrongdoing by Mbeki, the meeting he had with the French raises a possible conflict of interest as he chaired a ministerial sub-committee responsible for approving the arms-deal packages.

The South African subsidiary of Thales International, Thint, is facing corruption charges alongside Zuma over an alleged R500000-a-year bribe to the former deputy president that was to “protect” the company against possible criminal investigation into the multibillion-dollar arms deal.

While on holiday in South Africa over the past three weeks, Masekela was asked by the NPA to give details of the meeting.

Spokesman for the NPA Makhosini Nkosi said: “I’m unable to confirm or deny the alleged interview [with Masekela]. We don’t comment on our investigations.”

Masekela also met with Mbeki’s adviser Mojanku Gumbi and Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad — who allegedly accompanied the President to Paris — requesting their advice before meeting the NPA.

Among documents in the possession of the Sunday Times is the diary of the French company’s South African representative, Alain Thetard, with an entry on February 23 1999 detailing a meeting with “Essop Pahad (Union Buildings) at 11.30am, suggesting a follow-up meeting to the one held in France”.

Presidential spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga confirmed that Masekela met with Gumbi but said they did not talk about the alleged meeting. He could not confirm whether she met with Pahad. It has also emerged that Masekela was later offered shares by Thomson-CSF, which she declined, according to a letter written to Thint by Thetard.

The letter states: “Barbara also explained that, for ethical reasons, being an ambassador in Paris until 1998, it was not possible for her to be in a direct business relationship with a French company ...”

Masekela’s office in the US said this week she could not be contacted, as she was on holiday.

The Zuma trial is due to resume in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on September 5 and his legal team — which is increasingly dragging Mbeki’s name into the matter — is also understood to be interested in using Masekela as a defence witness.

Zuma’s legal adviser Michael Hulley said the matter of calling Masekela as a witness had not escaped the defence’s “thoughts” but it would be premature to confirm now that it would do so.

Affidavits filed by Zuma’s lawyers in the High Court suggest that Mbeki, not Zuma, should be the one asked if there was any corruption in the multibillion-dollar arms-procurement deal.

Zuma claims that Mbeki took an active interest and part in the procurement of the arms deal.

“He engaged role-players and interested parties ... Mbeki is a person ideally suited to depose to the absence of corruption in the award process.”

With acknowledgements to Moipone Malefane, Wisani wa ka Ngobeni and Sunday Times.