De Lille and Heath meet prosecutors

The ID has called for further investigation into the controversial multibillion-rand arms deal following the latest media revelations that the former chief of acquisitions for the arms deal, Chippy Shaik, allegedly received a $3 million bribe from one of the bidding arms manufacturers, Thyssen Krupp.

De Lille and former judge Willem Heath held a joint media briefing yesterday on their return from a visit to the German and British prosecuting authorities investigating the arms deal. They showed an article in a German news magazine, Der Spiegel, which contained the Shaik allegations.

De Lille said the German prosecuting authority was expected to ask the SA National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for legal assistance in their probe of the South African arms deal.

The money allegedly paid to Shaik was reportedly deposited into a non-existent "mailbox company", Merian Ltd, in London in April 2000.

Mo Shaik, speaking on behalf of his brother Chippy, said on the bribery allegation: "As far as Chippy is concerned he has been interviewed many times and he has nothing more to say. Der Spiegel has published this ad nauseam for the past seven years. These allegations have been made before and it won't be the last time."

Heath said the German prosecuting authorities had decided to ask the NPA for help in their investigation and were "busy preparing the application".

The payment of bribes was not illegal in Germany until February 1999 and bribes were written off as "useful expenditure".

Heath said the German prosecuting authority had said the managing director of Daimler Aerospace had escaped prose-cution for corruption because, at the time of the bribe payments, he could not be prosecuted for bribery in terms of German law.

"Even so, he paid an acknowledgment of guilt to the tune of 15 000 Deutschmark for embezzlement," said Heath.

"This was confirmation that he had supplied luxury vehicles at heavily discounted prices to 30 South Africans, including (former ANC chief whip) Tony Yengeni."

Yengeni was sentenced to four years in jail for lying to Parliament about a discount he received on a luxury 4x4 vehicle from one of the companies bidding for a slice of the government's multibillion rand arms deal. He spent four months in prison and was released last month.

De Lille said the responsibility for the arms deal rested on President Thabo Mbeki who, as the then deputy president, had presided over the cabinet committee responsible for the arms acquisition process.

"Mbeki should stop being defensive about corruption in the arms deal," she said. "There is prima facie evidence that can lead to prosecutions."

In response, presidency spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said: "She (De Lille) has got the right to her opinions. You know the government has dealt with this matter. The investigation is done and it came to the conclusion that there was no impropriety on the part of government."

Ratshitanga dismissed the latest Der Spiegel report that Shaik had received a $3m bribe from Thyssen Krupp.

"It's an allegation," he said. Let them produce the evidence and let them hand it to the appropriate state bodies and then (the) government will deal with it."

With acknowledgements to Linda Daniels and Cape Argus.