Publication: The Star Issued: Date: 2008-01-09 Reporter: Deon de Lange Reporter: Karyn Maughan

Tainted Yengeni Under Spotlight in ANC Arms-Deal Probe

 

Publication 

The Star
Date

2008-01-09
Reporter Deon de Lange
Karyn Maughan

Web Link

www.thestar.co.za



Amid the announcement of a new ANC probe into the arms deal, Tony Yengeni the man who allegedly played a "very substantial" part in quashing the first inquiry into the deal has landed one of the party's plum positions.

This comes as the ANC announced it would appoint an ad hoc committee to draw up a "detailed factual report" on the arms deal.

And President Thabo Mbeki could be grilled by his own party on what he knows about the controversial multibillion-rand deal.

Former arms-deal investigator Andrew Feinstein believes the former chief whip's appointment to the ANC's national working committee (NWC) was not a good sign for the ruling party's revisiting of the arms-deal controversy.

Other committee members include Mathews Phosa, ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe, the SA Communist Party's Jeremy Cronin, national executive committee member Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele, former defence force general Siphiwe Nyanda, Education Minister Naledi Pandor, businessman Cyril Ramaphosa and Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.

"(Yengeni) basically destroyed the Scopa (standing committee on public accounts) inquiry into the arms deal ... He misled parliament ... and I would be very surprised if he didn't have the support of the president (Mbeki) when he did so," Feinstein told The Star.

Among other allegations, Feinstein claims Yengeni called himself and fellow investigator Laloo Chiba into his office and instructed them "not to proceed with the public investigation". He also alleges Yengeni intimidated ANC members of Scopa.

Feinstein said he was prepared to hand over his own arms-deal investigations to the ad hoc committee *1.

Feinstein commented that the mooted new probe was ironic in light of the Mbeki-led government's repeated insistence that it had conducted a full investigation into the arms deal.

ANC treasurer-general Phosa yesterday said the planned probe was not a reopening of the arms-deal investigation.

"We need to get a detailed formal report ... to take informed decisions on what to do and locate this case and the charges against the (ANC) president (Jacob Zuma)," he said, adding that the report would not be made public.

Asked if Mbeki was likely to be called to testify, Phosa said the party "will not be tying their (committee members') hands in terms of who they should speak to and who they should not speak to".

With acknowledgements to Deon de Lange, Karyn Maughan and The Star.


*1       What do they say "it's like handing over the investigation to the rat to determine who stole the cheese"?

We live in a beautiful, but strange country and it gets stranger by the day.

Now the Regional Director of the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO) of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) gets arrested by 20 armed policemen at 21:00 CAT in his home and gets charged for fraud and perjury. The next day while he is detained and trying to get out of jail, etc. his home gets searched.

At the same time the acting head of the NPA says they will announce by the end of the month *2 whether the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), who is the ultimate superior of those same 20 policemen, will be arrested on serous charges like trafficking in narcotics.


*2      The end of the month is actually not good enough at all Advicate Mpshe. Your spokesman has been announcing for weeks that the decision is imminent and laid blame on the Minister of Justice why the decision has not been announced.

You are advised that your conduct in this regard is beginning to give credence to the numerous detractors of your organisation that the NPA is not beyond playing games when it feels the need.

Get on with it.

The country is on the fringes of a vortex that will suck it into a frenzy of anarchy that will make Kenya and Zimbabwe look like the proverbial childrens' picnic.

We can't rely on the present government, we can't reply on the next government, we can't reply of the ruling political party, we can't reply on the SAPS.

At this time we can only reply on the NPA and the independent judiciary.

Can we reply on the SANDF to uphold the Constitution when crunch time comes - as it surely is?

What can the judiciary do if the Accused simply refuse or fail to appear in court?

Normally they call on the SAPS to enforce the courts' contempt of court orders.

But what if the SAPS declines or refuses or fails to enforce the courts' contempt of court orders?


Things are serious - very, very serious - be afraid - this is real - not something just seen on TV.