Statement issued by:

Democratic Alliance
Statement by Eddie Trent, MP DA Spokesperson on The Arms Deal

26 June 2005

Release : Immediate

I have written to President Mbeki asking him to answer questions as soon as possible on the issues raised by two encrypted faxes that the DA has in its possession.

The first of these faxes gives the impression that the President assured Thomson's executives (via Chippy Shaik) as early as 1997 that they would be awarded the combat suite contract. This implies that the president had guaranteed Thomsons the contract before the tender process was complete. I have asked the President to state whether or not such an assurance was given to Thomsons.

The second fax indicates that President Mbeki secretly met with Thomsons executives in Paris in December 1998. If such a meeting took place then this would constitute a violation of accepted tender processes. As Chair of MINCOM, the President was responsible for the final awarding of all the arms deal contracts. A meeting of this nature would have created an enormous conflict of interest for the President and would cast a dark cloud over the integrity of the entire of arms deal process. I have asked President Mbeki to state clearly whether a meeting of this nature did in fact take place.

I have also submitted parliamentary questions on this matter, however it is absolutely essential that the President responds directly to the requests in my letter as Parliament will only reconvene in August.

The information referred to in the faxes has been in the public domain for some time now. If further information of this kind keeps appearing on an ad hoc basis, it will be very damaging for the President and the country. Unless the President takes the nation into his confidence and answers the questions I have posed, there will be reason to believe that he may have something to hide.

Further Information :

Eddie Trent MP
083 600 8949

Media Liaison :
Robert MacDonald
072 638 7710

With acknowledgement to the DA and Eddie Trent.