Durban - Schabir Shaik is considering a fresh challenge against his guilty verdict following the release of the arms deal report, which found no evidence of corruption in the country’s acquisition of military equipment worth R43 billion.
However, while Shaik is considering his options in the wake of the report, questions are already being raised over the credibility of the findings which come four years after the investigations began, at a cost to taxpayers of R113 million.
A key source close to the arms deal at the time has fired the most potent salvo, with fresh claims that he witnessed President Jacob Zuma asking for money to seal the arms contract.
“I was present at a meeting between Zuma and representatives from Thomson CSF in which he (Zuma) demanded funds to build his home in Nkandla which amounted to millions of rand. The deal was that the money be paid in exchange for protecting Thomson-CSF against any investigation into the arms deal process and support in any future bids.
“This directive was then sent as an encrypted note to the French company which gave the go-ahead for the funds - amounting to R500 million per year. However, that note was later leaked by an office secretary who turned it over to the Scorpions. That is how the cover around the arms deal was blown. The monies were never paid to Zuma after the Scorpions were alerted, but there were others in the process who were not caught out who did benefit from Thomson CSF securing the arms deal,” the source told The Mercury.
Schaik, who acted as Zuma’s financial adviser at the time, was also a shareholder of Thomson SA, the South African arm of Thomson CSF, and a director of African Defence Systems, the company which benefited in the arms deal as part of its joint venture with Thomson-CSF.
Approached for comment on the allegation that Zuma had solicited funding to close the arms deal, Shaik said he was aware of the meeting between Zuma and Thomson-CSF, but refused to comment further.
“I was convicted over the arms deal where I maintained I did nothing wrong. How could I broker a bribery deal between Zuma and my own company where I served as shareholder? It doesn’t make sense, yet I was found guilty. The report vindicates me and brings the conviction against me into question, which is a matter being discussed with my legal team. I will consider my legal options,” added Shaik.
Pressed to disclose whether Zuma solicited a bribe at the meeting, Shaik refused to confirm or deny the allegation, insisting he was not called on to testify in the commission of inquiry.
“I have always maintained that my role in the arms deal was all above board. The findings of the report after a four-year investigation brings fresh hope to my case as it confirms I did nothing wrong. I was not called on to testify, which I would have done had I been asked to, and I am meeting with my legal team today to discuss the impact of the report on my conviction,” Shaik told The Mercury.
Shaik, who is on medical parole, was sentenced in 2006 to 15 years in prison for facilitating a bribery deal between Zuma and Thomson-CSF in 1999.
The release of the report brings to a close the highly controversial arms deal, which brought into question the involvement of key political figures, including Zuma - who was deputy president at the time - and former president Thabo Mbeki, former defence minister Joe Modise, and Nelson Mandela.
All three men are alleged to have benefited personally from the arms deal - but have consistently denied the accusations.
Key findings of the investigations include the lack of outside influence, bribery, or corruption in the procurement process; lack of evidence of any wrongdoing; and a directive that there should be no further investigation of the allegations - potentially shutting the door to any appeal against the report’s findings.
The arms deal investigation, which has cost taxpayers a hefty R113 million, has left opposition parties seething, with many rejecting the report’s findings, calling it a “predictable whitewash”.
Social media have also reacted to the report, with many questioning the validity of Shaik’s conviction.
Shabir Shaik and Tony Yengeni went to jail for this man. How are you not finding any evidence? RIP Democracy. RIP Justice.
— Reese Withoutaspoon (@Reesiebabygirl) April 22, 2016
#ArmsDealReport: Taxpayers money has been wasted since september 2011, why only Schabir shaik was found guilty? I smell a rat!!!!!!!
— Thulani Ndaba (@tndaba) April 21, 2016
The Mercury