JOHANNESBURG – Thabo Mbeki is running scared of a proper investigation of the arms deal he masterminded – terrified that German and British investigations might land him and his presidency in the dock.

That’s the opinion of Andrew Feinstein, the ranking ANC representative on Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee at the time, and the man who resigned after his attempts to have arms deal corruption probed were thwarted – largely, he claims, by Mbeki.

Yesterday The Citizen revealed the decision to buy R6 billion worth of British Aerospace (BAe) Hawk jets was taken not by Air Force or defence experts, but at an informal meeting presided over by Joe Modise, Chippy Shaik and then Deputy President Thabo Mbeki.

Other documents – which have never been made public – detail how, after this briefing, Mbeki told then President Nelson Mandela’s Cabinet that the only viable advanced trainer was the Hawk.

This despite the fact that the Air Force had clearly shown preference for a much cheaper Italian jet.

The meeting appears to have been completely outside the tender process, and has not been explained by the presidency or Mbeki.

In response to The Citizen’s story yesterday, presidential spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said: “Government has conducted an investigation on this matter and found no wrongdoing on the part of government. That’s all I am going to say.”

Asked whether the public should still pay any attention to the arms deal investigation report, which various court actions have revealed was extensively edited before being released to Parliament, Ratshitanga said: “You are making an allegation it was edited. But the investigators have not told me they were edited. I don’t know who to believe. I think you need to go to law enforcement and make an affidavit. Until you have done that I don’t think we can really have a conversation.”

In 2003 Auditor-General Shauket Fakie admitted to Parliament that drafts of the arms deal report were given to the executive for comment – and said parts were changed to make the document “more readable and user-friendly”.

Court action by losing arms deal bidder Dr Richard Young forced Fakie to release drafts – showing that large parts of the report were edited in order to shield officials from allegations of wrongdoing.

These drafts also show that the executive altered the drafts to exonerate government.

Asked if convicted wrongdoers Tony Yengeni, ANC chief whip as well as a member of the ANC’s national executive committee, and Chippy Shaik, head of Defence Acquisitions, were not part of government, Ratshitanga said no.

“You need to go read your Constitution. When we talk about government we are not talking about the pedestrian colloquial definition of this. When we talk about government we only mean the executive – the President and Cabinet.”

Ratshitanga said he could not comment on a request by British authorities that SA detectives probe Fana Hlongwane – former adviser to Modise and thus a part of the executive, whom the British suspect of pocketing more than R1,3 billion in bribes.

“Those requests all go through Foreign Affairs. I’m afraid I can’t comment.”

Said Feinstein: “I have sent at least six letters to the ANC Today website asking for a chance to rebut their claims. I have not had a response yet. Clearly they are in denial. Deep denial.”

With acknowledgements to Paul Kirk and The Citizen.