President Kgalema Motlanthe has rejected a judicial commission of inquiry into the arms deal, saying it could derail current criminal investigations *1.

A letter setting out the president's full response to a petition co-signed by Nobel laureates Desmond Tutu and FW de Klerk, as well as other leading South Africans such as Mamphela Ramphele, Helen Suzman and Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba, will be sent today.

Presidential spokesman Thabo Masebe said among the reasons given by the president was that commissions of inquiry could not be established into criminal matters *2, especially as there was already an investigation under way *3.

A commission could derail current arms deal-related investigations, Masebe said.

The letter, co-signed by Tutu and De Klerk, was sent last week to the president, urging him to appoint a commission by today - the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The commission should indicate who, if anyone, should face prosecution and on what charges, the letter said.

Moreover, there should also be an investigation into the possibility of cancelling arms deal contracts tainted by corrupt and fraudulent dealings, and recovering payments already made, the petition says.

"The urgency of the matter is self-evident. The country is moving towards a general election, and the voters are entitled, in the spirit of free and fair elections, to be informed about what has become a major scandal in the country's political discourse."


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