Hawks chief Anwar Dramat has confirmed that he has
cancelled the investigation into the 1998 arms deal.
Dramat admitted to Sowetan yesterday: "I instructed that
it must be closed."
He refused to give reasons. "No, sorry. You can make a
written enquiry," he said.
The news comes just one month after Dramat told
Parliament's standing committee on public accounts (Scopa)
that the Hawks had reopened the investigation into
R450million worth of alleged arms deal bribes.
This happened after Richard Young, an arms dealer who
lost out in the 1998 deal and then turned whistleblower,
laid new criminal charges of corruption in November last
year.
But last week Hawks investigator Colonel Johan du Plooy
suddenly told Young that Dramat had terminated the
investigation - in writing.
Young slammed Dramat's decision.
"If Dramat refused to provide Sowetan with the reasons,
that is unbelievable. It shows they have something to
hide," he said yesterday.
Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille also
slammed Dramat's decision.
"There is no legal basis for him to drop it because
there is enough evidence and a prima facie case for him
to investigate it. He must have received a political
instruction. But how can he ignore what the law demands
of him?" she asked.
Scopa chairperson Themba Godi was shocked at the news.
"To cease the investigation is a dramatic development,"
Godi told Sowetan.
DA MP David Maynier said "it was clear when Dramat
appeared before Scopa there was not much appetite to
continue the investigation into corruption in the deal.
It is a travesty of justice".
A reliable source told Sowetan that the Hawks have a
"multitude" of other pieces of evidence of bribery in
their possession, including financial records showing
that German arms dealers claimed tax deductions on the
bribes they allegedly paid.
Sowetan reported last month that the Hawks also have a
copy of the signed "German bribe agreement".
This document says Spanish companies had offered to sell
the SA Navy four ships for 20percent less than the
German Frigate Consortium, which eventually got the
tender.
The document also says that Chippy Shaik, brother of
convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik and then head of
buying weapons for South Africa, had asked for
"$3million US for payment to be made in case of
success".
At the Scopa meeting last month Dramat told MPs they had
to decide if the Hawks should continue pumping money
into investigating the arms deal for another three
years. MPs slammed him for suggesting Parliament had the
power to cancel a criminal investigation and told him to
keep investigating.
But he defied their wishes. The R50billion deal was
signed in 1999. Within three years, allegations surfaced
that British, French and German dealers had paid huge
bribes to secure the tenders. An investigation was
launched and then chairperson of Parliament's defence
committee Tony Yengeni was convicted of getting a
discount on a car from an arms dealer.
President Jacob Zuma's financial adviser at the time,
Schabir Shaik, was jailed and Zuma himself had charges
related to the deal hanging over his head until April
last year.
With acknowledgements to
Anna Majavu and Sowetan.
It's so enfuriating, it's
so frustrating, it's so maddening.
It's so close, but yet so far.
It's also a bridge too far for an individual to carry on
further.
It's sickening to the very core of one's being.
It makes one want to vomit.
It makes one want to emigrate.
That's probably what they would want.