Publication: Cape Times Issued: Date: 2006-07-03 Reporter: Wendy Jasson da Costa Reporter: Reporter:

de Lille 'Vindicated' by German Corvette Kickback Probe

 

Publication 

Cape Times
Date

2006-07-03

Reporter
Wendy Jasson da Costa

Web Link

www.capetimes.co.za

 

Durban: Years after she first blew the whistle on possible irregularities in South Africa's multi-billion rand arms deal, ID leader Patricia de Lille says she has finally been "vindicated".

This comes after the German media this weekend confirmed that authorities in that country were investigating possible kickbacks related to the sale of four corvettes to South Africa by the German Frigate Consortium.

This has been confirmed by a member of the German prosecuting authority in Dösseldorf, Peter Lichtenberg.

In September 1999, De Lille brought forward a motion in parliament calling for an investigation into possible corruption in the arms deal.

In September 2001, the auditor-general confirmed that there were irregularities and the "De Lille Dossier" was handed to the Special Investigating Unit, headed by Judge Willem Heath.

The "De Lille Dossier" was a document which ANC sources close to the arms deal handed to De Lille, who was still a member of the PAC at that time.

"When I first said there were suspicions surrounding the tender process for the corvettes, the SA government said I did not understand the procedures.

Now the German authorities have launched an investigation. If you put that up against the SA government's response, there is no doubt that I have been vindicated," De Lille said yesterday.

The German news magazine Der Spiegel is expected to publish a report today stating that about R133 million may have been paid in bribes during the corvette deal and then concealed in the shipbuilders' accounts as "expenses".

At the time, Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems headed the German Frigate Consortium, which won the contract to build the vessels for the SA National Defence Force.

According to De Lille, the German Frigate Consortium was not on South Africa's initial shortlist in 1995 and only made an appearance after President Thabo Mbeki, who was still deputy president at the time, visited Germany.

She said the Der Spiegel journalist who investigated Thyssen Krupp phoned her about six months ago to ask for a copy of her dossier.

De Lille said yesterday she hoped the German investigation would provide answers to questions the ANC government was not willing to answer.

"Two of the allegations contained in the De Lille Dossier have already led to the successful prosecution of Tony Yengeni and Schabir Shaik. The Jacob Zuma trial, where I will be a state witness, begins in July," she said.

National Democratic Convention MP Gavin Woods and former DA MP Raenette Taljaard, who were both vocal about the arms deal at the time, said yesterday they too hoped the investigation by the Germans would give them answers to many remaining questions.

Woods, an IFP MP at the time and chairman of Scopa, parliament's financial watchdog, eventually resigned, citing government interference with the work of the committee.

Taljaard, who heads the Helen Suzman Foundation, said yesterday that if the Germans established the allegations were true it would "raise challenges" for the South Africans who investigated the matter *1.

DA spokesman on public accounts, Eddie Trent, said the National Prosecuting Authority should offer to co-operate to with the German authorities.

ANC spokesman Smuts Ngonyama said: "We don't have any comment at this stage. However, it's important for the German government to investigate if they suspect any corruption in that regard."

National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Makhosini Nkosi said he knew nothing about the probe *2.

With acknowledgements to Wendy Jasson da Costa and Cape Times.


*1 The Three Stooges, the Auditor-General, The Public Protector and the National Director of Public Prosecutions.

What a shameful three.

*2  Maybe he doesn't, but at least his bosses do.

Interesting History

An extract of the Public Protector's public hearings into the Arms Deal, specifically the final barrage from Attorney Shane Dwyer representing the German Frigate Consortium in his relentless cross-examination of Richard Young :
"Well my instructions are, and I have to say in fairness to you that I am not saying I can lead evidence because my evidence is in Germany.  If it becomes critical I am sure the Public Protector, if he asks us to make that evidence available we will do so, but from the German side where my instructions come from, that document was the first draft of a conceptualised idea that never went any further, that no contract of that sort was ever concluded and what is more curious Dr Young, you need to talk to your deep throats, is that document was one of a number that were reported stolen in a burglary of FBS's premises.

So I suggest before you start drawing assumptions and making innuendos based on documents the authenticity of which you have no evidence whatsoever, that you look very carefully at your sources before you make these allegations again.  That is all I have to say.
---  Well I can say I certainly had nothing to do with the sourcing of these documents, they came to my attention and I believe that they have actually been in the public domain for quite a while, probably for at least a year to 18 months."

If the German investigation determines that there was indeed bribery - and their information appears to be very specific -  it will further make a mockery of the Joint Investigation.

Here allegations were being made in an official public investigation that there was possibly unlawfulness regarding the GFC and the award of the corvette contract. In turn, the GFC's attorney badgers, harrasses and ridicules the witness making such allegations and at the same time advises that the evidence is in Germany. But what does the pubic protector government protector public protector do - didly squat, except come up with the most anodyne of reports exonerating his paymasters and their cohorts.

The torture never stops.