Publication: Cape Argus Issued: Date: 2007-03-11 Reporter: Fiona Forde

Swedes Join Arms Deal Bribes Probe

 

Publication 

Cape Argus
Date

2007-03-11

Reporter

 Fiona Forde

Web Link

www.capeargus.co.za

 

A Swedish anti-corruption unit has joined its counterparts in Britain and Germany in investigating allegations that secret commissions were paid to South Africans to secure sales in this country's multibillion rands arms procurement programme.

In 2001, the British aerospace company BAe Systems, in a joint venture with Saab of Sweden, sold 24 Hawk jet-trainer aircraft and 28 Gripen fighters to South Africa. Saab, which is 20% owned by BAe, made the Gripens.

Christer van der Kwast, Sweden's director of public prosecutions, said "there are a lot of problems concerning the South African deal … To what extent this will lead to further investigations or prosecutions, I cannot say at this point (but we) expect to reach a decision in the coming days."

Van der Kwast is chasing money trails and gleaning information from a number of sources. They include the serious fraud office of the UK police in London, where investigations are advanced into allegations that BAe bribed South Africans.

A spokesman for Saab South Africa said, although his company was co-operating with Van der Kwast, it "denies accusations of illegal business methods, but naturally takes the allegations seriously".

He said Saab was working to establish the facts pertaining to the allegations of corruption. Previous allegations against Saab had "proved to be completely unfounded", he said.

The exact nature of the BAe-Saab joint venture in South Africa is not clear and so it is uncertain, if bribes were paid, which of the two companies would have been culpable.

Linden Birns, spokesman for BAe Systems in South Africa, denies any wrongdoing by the British aerospace giant.

"BAE Systems' business in South Africa forms part of an ongoing inquiry by the serious fraud office in the UK following the allegations against us. BAE Systems rejects the allegations."

German investigators are looking into a commission of R3 billion (sic) *1 allegedly secretly paid to Chippy Shaik during defence ministry negotiations to buy four warships for R12bn from the German Frigate Consortium.

In London, the police are focusing on the R30bn BAe deal from which eight SA government officials are alleged to have benefited to the tune of R1bn.

With acknowledgements to Fiona Forde and Cape Argus.


I thought it was US$3 million secretly paid to Chippy Shaik.

For R3 billion it would be worth languishing in a single ward of the infirmary of Malmesbury Prison for 2 to 3 months.

But whether it was US$3 million or ZAR3 billion, it was certainly paid by Thyssen (certainly along with, inter alia, British Aerospace, Ferrostaal and Thabo Mbeki The Big Fish) into a British bank account in the name of a non-existent company Merian Ltd under control on Chippy's very good friend and personal accountant, Ian Elvis Pierce.

The German investigating authorities have in their possession a goodly haul of internal Thyssen memoranda recording Chippy's request for the bribe and Thyssen's payment of the bribe. There are also documents authorising Ian Elvis Pierce to act on behalf of Chippy in  respect of the payment by Thyssen to Merian Ltd. There are also documents recording payments from Merian to Ian Elvis Pierce.

Plus more, much more.

Voila.

Chippy had better start practising those hypochondria manoeuvres.