| Publication |
Mail & Guardian |
| Date | 2013-02-28 |
| Reporter |
Glynnis Underhill |
| Web link | www.mg.co.za |
Former senior investigator at the arms deal
commission Mokgale Norman Moabi says he doesn't
believe the reasons given for the delay of the
hearings.
Former senior investigator at the arms
procurement commission Mokgale Norman Moabi,
whose resignation sparked an outcry after he
accused its chairperson Judge Willie Seriti of
having a "secret agenda", says he does not
believe the reasons for the postponement of its
public hearings.
"I don't believe a word of what is offered as
reasons for the postponement of the hearings to
August 5 2013," he told the Mail & Guardian.
"The exposure of the second agenda has
necessitated the commission to rearrange,
remanage and reschedule its operations so as to
bring some measure of respectability to its
image."
The hearings were "deferred" by the commission
just days before they were due to commence on
March 4. The commission claimed it needed to
postpone the hearings after ongoing
consultations between its evidence leaders and
key witnesses.
In the process of the consultations, the legal
team had been referred to an increasing number
of documents , which had not yet been seen by
them, said the commission.
"The additional documents are only now coming in
and are voluminous. There is insufficient time
to peruse and analyse these, supplement the
commission's bundles, consult with the witnesses
in respect of such document and deal with the
issues arising therefrom," it said.
The commission also claimed the witnesses had
made suggestions about the source of other
documents, and other areas to investigate.
Further allegations had been made against
individuals and other entities, it said.
Lastly, the commission said panels of forensic
auditors had been engaged to probe aspects of
its terms of reference and report back, but
these reports were not yet available for use
during the public hearings.
'Total obsession'
However Moabi believes these are not the
real reasons for the postponement of the
hearings. "The sad news is that the taxpayer has
to continue to bleed in order to fund the
commission, which in my mind will not shed light
on the corruption that accompanied the arms
procurements," he said.
In his resignation letter, which was leaked to
the M&G, the lawyer claimed Seriti had a
"total obsession" over the control of the flow
of information to and from the commission, and
that there was a clandestine preparation of
documents and briefs handed to evidence leaders.
Moabi said the commission's evidence leaders
were present when the date of March 4 was
announced as the commencement for the hearings.
"It is a shame that by then they had no idea of
what it entailed to be involved in the arms deal
commission investigations," he said.
A few of the 11 available witnesses have told
the M&G they had already booked air
tickets to Pretoria and made arrangments, in
some cases to have legal representation. They
expressed disquiet that the legal teams who will
be used as evidence leaders at the commission
had left it until just before the start of the
hearings to consult with them.
Among those who were due to appear was Cape
businessperson
Richard Young, who has previously told
the M&G he believes Seriti should resign
in the wake of the startling claims made by
Moabi of a "second agenda". Young said no
witness could ever feel confident following
Moabi's revelations.
Moabi has a solid reputation as both a former
president of the Law Society in the Northern
Provinces and former acting judge of the North
Gauteng High Court.
After Seriti rebutted his accusations, an
unbowed Moabi challenged Seriti to take a
lie-detector test, which he said he would also
take if Seriti obliged. Seriti declined by
asking Moabi to provide evidence for his claims.
Our Coverage
With acknowledgement to Glynnis Underhill and Mail & Guardian.
Uncomfortable indeed.