Publication: The Witness Issued: Date: 2007-01-25 Reporter: Adriaan Basson Reporter:

Arms Deal Probe a ‘Hot Potato’ in SA

 

Publication 

The Witness
Date 2007-01-25

Reporter

 Adriaan Basson

Web Link

www.witness.co.za

 

It seems that nobody wants to help Britain’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to poke about in South Africa’s arms deals.

A request from the SFO this week to assist in a formal inquiry into the controversial weapons transactions has been passed to a fifth successive state organ in South Africa “like a hot potato *1”, this time from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) back to the police. This is despite the police having decided earlier that they are not suited to deal with the request.

The SFO inquiry into corruption in the arms deal involving 24 Hawk jet trainers was described by experts yesterday as “a hot potato” because no SA authority has come up with anything on it in seven months.

The SFO were not aware yesterday that their request had been handed back for reconsideration to the police division for serious economic offences.

The British daily the Guardian reported three weeks ago that investigators from the SFO would be leaving for South Africa shortly, to investigate the R30 billion BAE deal for Hawk jet trainers and Gripen fighters.

The inquiry follows a request for assistance from the SFO to the department of justice and the NPA on June 26 last year.

BAE Systems developed an extensive web of influence and is reported to have shelled out R1 billion in bribes to ensure success for the Hawk deal.

Fana “Styles” Hlongwane *2, adviser to former defence minister Joe Modise, was named as one of the chief beneficiaries of the BAE commissions.

The Mail&Guardian reported recently that the SFO has added to its dossier the names of Richard Charter, former chief of Osprey Aviation (BAE’s South African agent), Jules Pelissier, a former Zimbabwean and associate of the embattled businessman John Bredenkamp, and Basil Hersov, former chairman of First National Bank.

Hennie van Vuuren, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) said yesterday the Scorpions are ideally placed to help the SFO with their inquiry: “They [the Scorpions] have already prosecuted more than one individual in that connection, and the NPA, along with the auditor general and the public protector, were in on the inquiries.”

The Mail&Guardian reported that the Scorpions were involved with the Jacob Zuma case, and they could not assist the SFO *3.

“It will benefit the whole developing world if we help … It is in our interest to assist [the SFO] as speedily as possible, and not to pass it around like a hot potato,” said Van Vuuren.

With acknowledgements to Adriaan Basson and The Witness.


*1        The hottest of the hot potatoes for Thabo and some others among us.

For Joe Modise, it don't worry him none.

Chippy should be worried because the record shows that he aided and abetted Joe in his relentless mission to ensure British Aerospace were awarded especially the LIFT contract, but also the Gripen contract.

It is also on the record that Chippy as co-chairman of SOFCOM, the Strategic Offers Committee, changed the formula for equipment selection and did so while the Armscor co-chairman, Erich Esterhuyse, was on vacation. But SOFCOM was only a co-ordinating body and according to the official DoD acquisition policy MODAC-I had no mandate or authority in the acquisition process.


*2      Fana Hlongwane is also shown in the record to be deep into the political process of determining the DoD's new acquisition policy.

It is ironic that Hlongwane and the Project Team stipulated the following criteria for Defence Acquisition programme management, inter alia :
It's enough to make a dog vomit.


*3      This is abject nonsense.

Adv Annemarie van der Kolf of the NPA/DSO has already investigated the whole :
Modise/BAe/Hawk/Conlog/Logtek/ALE/Haywood/Deetlefs/Spain/etc. matter
after taking over from Adv Gerda Ferreira.

It's all in the NPA/DSO's investigation report and investigation file.