Publication: Sapa Issued: Cape Town Date: 2007-02-04 Reporter: Sapa

Schabir Shaik's Brother in Arms Deal Bribery Allegations

 

Publication 

Sapa
ARMS-LD-DELILLE 

Issued

Cape Town
Date

2007-02-04

Reporter

Sapa

Web Link

 www.sapa.org.za

 

Chippy Shaik, former head of government acquisition in the arms deal and brother of convicted fraudster, Schabir Shaik, was paid a $3 million (about R21 million) bribe by one of the arms deal bidding companies, Germany's on-line newspaper Spiegel reported on Sunday.

According to the newspaper internal documents of Thyssen Krupp, a German company that supplied South Africa with war corvette ships, has revealed that Shaik had requested the bribe in 1998.

The company deposited the money to a non-existing company in London in 2000.

The allegations contained in the newspaper's article was part of the evidence which Independent Democratic (ID) Leader Patricia De Lille on Sunday showed to reporters as further proof that the arms deal was riddled with corruption.

She has just arrived from Germany and the UK where she interacted with those countries authorities in their arms deal investigation.

"The ID wants to commend both the Germany NPA and the UK SFO for investigating the allegations contained in the De Lille Dossier, the South African government has been sitting on these allegations since 1999-instead of thoroughly investigating them, it has been in denial ever since," she said.

The investigations in both countries were now at an advanced stage, De Lille said.

"Our delegation had fruitful discussion with the German NPA around their investigation into payment of millions of rand in bribe during the SA Navy corvette procurement process," she said, adding the Germans were considering filing a request for legal assistance from the South African government.

All what is now needed is for the South African government to co-operate with these two countries for the investigation to be concluded, said De Lille .

Judge Heath, who had also accompanied De Lille during her overseas trip said certain directors of Germany companies who were involved in the arms deals have already acknowledged guilt.

"The Germany NPA also informed us that the MD of Daimler Aerospace escaped prosecution for corruption because at the time of the bribe payments he could not be prosecuted on this charge in terms of Germany law - even so, he paid an acknowledgement of guilt to the tune of 15 000 Deutsch Mark for embezzlement.

Until 1998 it was not illegal for Germany companies to pay bribes.

Heath said the fact that the Daimler Aerospace MD had acknowledged guilty was confirmation that he supplied luxury vehicles at heavily discounted prices to 30 South Africans, including Tony Yengeni.

"Because the ultimate responsibility for the South African Arms Deal rests with President Thabo Mbeki, who as Deputy President (at the time) presided over the Cabinet committee responsible for the Arms Acquisition Process -- We must ask ourselves -- what does he have to hide?" asked De Lille.

With acknowledgement to Sapa.