Original letter in PDF format

2002-01-07

The Auditor-General
Office of the Auditor-General
P.O. Box 446
Pretoria
0001

Attention : S.A. Fakie

Dear Sir

Response to your Letter dated 2001-11-22

I acknowledge your letter to our Marlene Abreu dated 2001-11-22 in response to ours to you dated 2001-11-20.

In particular, I wish to respond to the third paragraph of your letter which reads as follows :

"It has come to my attention that Mr Young has approached a number of my staff members directly requesting information and documentation relating to the the investigation. Kindly note that I take strong exception to this. Please inform Mr Young to approach me directly in future."

As you know, I tried to contact you telephonically immediately on receiving this letter. Not having success in this regard, I left a message with your Personal Assistant, Peet Grundlingh for you to phone me. Eventually, you returned my call some two weeks later on 2001-12-07. When you enquired as to my contacting you, I advised you that it was in the context of the above issue in accordance with your letter of 2001-11-22. You then refused to discuss this matter with me, telling me that I could "take it up if I wished" (or words to that effect).

I request that you fully justify and explain the allegation that you have made against me in your letter. Specifically, I require that, within 14 days hereof, you advise me in writing of the following :

• The names of your staff members from whom you allege that I have directly requested information and documentation relating to the investigation (into the Strategic Defence Packages).
• Descriptions of the information and documentation relating to the investigation (into the Strategic Defence Packages) which you allege that I have requested of your staff.
• The date(s) on which you allege that I have made such requests of your staff.

Furthermore, although you refused to engage me on this matter, despite you having requested me to do so by means of your letter, you made the following additional allegations against me :

• That "my lawyer wrote you a letter on my company's letterhead".
• That "we faxed our letter to the Auditor-General's office situated at the Department of Defence".
• That "I was sending members of your staff emails".

When I asked you to explain what you meant by the latter allegations, you put down the phone on me. I consider this extremely rude and unprofessional considering both your position as a public servant and that I was contacting you in response to your own request. Kindly note that I take strong exception to this.

Regarding the above matters, I demand that within 14 days hereof, you explain to me in writing of your specific concerns, in sufficient detail that I may respond appropriately.

Yours faithfully

R.M. Young
Managing Director