Publication: Business Day Issued: Date: 2007-08-03 Reporter: Karima Brown

DA Angry as Chippy Shaik Let Off Hook

 

Publication 

Business Day
Date 2007-08-03

Reporter

Karima Brown

Web Link

www.businessday.co.za

 

The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) yesterday criticised the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for not pursuing criminal charges against the government's former head of acquisitions, Chippy Shaik, saying the agency was playing politics instead of looking at the evidence.

The DA’s Eddie Trent said that the NPA’s decision was fundamentally problematic.

“A possible explanation is that, should the NPA pursue a case against Mr Shaik, who was intricately involved in the procurement process, he could name names and cause tremendous difficulties at an extremely sensitive period for the ruling party in general, and for the president specifically.”

But Yunis Shaik, the lawyer and brother of Chippy Shaik, said the DA should respect the rule of law and cease its efforts to “prosecute” through “rumour and innuendo” the government’s former head of acquisitions at the time of SA’s controversial arms deal .

Shaik told Business Day he welcomed the NPA decision not to pursue criminal charges against his brother, Chippy. Word of the NPA’s decision came after the agency responded to a parliamentary question on the matter put to it by the DA. The NPA has come under pressure to re-open investigations into SA’s controversial multibillion-rand arms deal following media reports in Germany alleging irregularities.

Yunis Shaik said: “The NPA’s decision bears out what we have always said. Chippy did nothing wrong and is innocent. However, the DA and others have pursued him through little else but rumour and innuendo, and subsequently his life and career have been destroyed in the process. We urge the DA and everyone else to respect the rule of law. We did so in the case of Schabir, who is in prison, so why not in the case of Chippy?”

But the DA yesterday slammed the NPA’s decision, saying it was “fundamentally problematic” for two reasons. “A substantial amount of evidence exists in SA, and is available to the NPA, which suggests that there have been improprieties on the part of Mr Shaik; and, more importantly, there are three international investigations into the arms deal not yet concluded in Sweden, Germany and Britain”.

Trent said the DA would submit further questions to the NPA in an attempt to establish the reasons for deciding not to pursue criminal charges against Chippy Shaik.

Shaik made headlines recently when media reports suggested that he was about to “flee” the country because of alleged irregularities surrounding the arms deal.

This followed news reports that the German authorities were looking into possible corruption involving him and international arms companies who benefited from SA’s arms procurement process.

Shaik, an engineer, was also linked to allegations that he obtained his PhD fraudulently.

Shaik has, however, maintained that he not only co-operated with the government’s three-agency probe into the arms deal at the time of the inquiry, but had also turned down a promotion offered to him by the government.

However, since the whole saga, Shaik says that he has been unable to find work in SA and has decided to take his family to Australia.

With acknowledgements to Karima Brown and Business Day.