The third man: BAE agent John Bredenkamp
 

Picture: www.dailymail.co.uk  

The Scorpions investigation into Fana Hlongwane is focusing on documents received from Britain’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO), alleging that he had “entered into a general consultancy agreement with BAE Systems in 2002 on a retainer of £1-million (R15-million) a year”.

It is also believed that in 2005 there was a payment of £8-million as settlement to Hlongwane for work done on the arms deal. Hlongwane has also been linked to other figures implicated in the investigation, including Richard Charter, a former BAE agent who died in a canoeing accident on the Orange River in January 2004.

The two men were directors of Tsebe Properties, which is linked to Osprey Aerospace ­ another of Charter’s companies that is subject to the SFO’s investigation.

Charter was chairman of BAE Systems South Africa and was closely linked to John Bredenkamp, BAE’s other Southern African agent and Zimbabwean arms trader.

Bredenkamp’s home in Sandhurst, Johannesburg, was also raided by the Scorpions on Wednesday. Investigators believe BAE paid at least £20-million to a company linked to Bredenkamp.

Bredenkamp has had a controversial career, ranging from supplying goods to the Zimbabwe military to mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The SFO has in the past conducted raids on Bredenkamp’s British properties as part of their long-running investigation into BAE aircraft sales to SA.

Bredenkamp has consistently denied any wrongdoing. ­ Wisani wa ka Ngobeni

With acknowledgements to Wisani wa ka Ngobeni and Sunday Times.