Cape Town - The findings of the Seriti Commission of Inquiry into the 1999 arms deal were “massively disappointing”, the Democratic Alliance has said.
The DA has also questioned why the commission chose to ignore evidence unearthed by European probes into companies involved in the deal.
President Jacob Zuma released the report on Thursday, four months after receiving it.
David Maynier, who long served as the official opposition’s defence spokesman, singled out a report by international law firm Debevoise & Plimpton, following a compliance investigation into Ferrostaal, which was part of the German Submarine Consortium.
“The final report, prepared by Debevoise & Plimpton, revealed that Ferrostaal, itself, was concerned about ‘questionable and improper payments’ to its own consultants.”
“The Arms Procurement Commission rejected the allegations in the final report of Debevoise & Plimpton… And so, despite the Arms Procurement Commission, sitting for four years, and consuming more than R113 million, the question still remains, whether any forward payments were made by these consultants, and if forward payments were made by these consultants, who received those forward payments,” he said.
The African National Congress, on the other hand, commended the commission for conducting an “exhaustive” inquiry and welcomed the outcome, expressing hope that it would put the long-running controversy to rest.
“All presentations were fully considered by the commission which ultimately dismissed all allegations of bribery, corruption and fraud in the procurement process. The ANC reaffirms its confidence in the credibility of the process and trust that the commission’s report will bring to finality the allegations and claims of wrongdoing in the arms deal.”
The inquiry found no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the Cabinet of the day or any government official, Zuma said in a live televised address on Thursday.
The president said the commission found no support or corroboration for allegations of corruption in selecting the arms manufacturers contracted by the South African government, and encountered not a shred of evidence that any of the “senior politicians in the government of the day” were bribed.
“On whether any person or persons improperly influenced the award or conclusion of any of the contracts in the procurement process, the commission found that the evidence presented before it does not suggest that undue or improper influence played any role in the selection of the preferred bidders, which ultimately entered into contracts with the government,” Zuma said.
He said the commission, which was appointed four and a half years ago, considered the role of consultants hired by arms manufacturers and handed large sums of money. It stated that this created an impression that decision-makers may have been bribed but, again, no proof of this was found.
“On this point, the commission states that not a single iota of evidence was placed before it, showing that any of the money received by any of the consultants was paid to any officials involved in the Strategic Defence Procurement Package, let alone any of the members of the Inter-Ministerial Committee that oversaw the process, or any member of the Cabinet that took the final decisions, nor is there any circumstantial evidence pointing to this,” he stressed.
The commission accepted assurances that the money was meant as consultants’ fees and nothing else, he added. Individuals fingered on this score testified before the commission and refuted the allegations and none of them were discredited as witnesses.
It therefore found that none of the deals entered into by the state in the controversial R70 billion weapons buying spree were tainted.
Furthermore, the president said the commission had weighed critics’ claims that the arms acquired were not appropriate for South Africa’s needs or were under-utilised by the government and found that this was not the case. It also found that the suppliers had by and large delivered on industrial offset deals linked to the arms contracts.
“The commission states that the probabilities are that the number of jobs created or retained would be higher than eleven thousand nine hundred and sixteen. On whether the off-sets anticipated to flow from the arms procurement have materialised, the commission found that it was fair to conclude that the anticipated offsets have substantially materialised. Adequate arrangements are in place to ensure that those who have not met their obligations do so in the immediate future.”
The commission was set up in October 2011 and headed by retired Supreme Court judge Willie Seriti. It heard testimony from 54 people, including former president Thabo Mbeki whose tenure was marred by opposition to the deal and allegations that senior members of his Cabinet pocketed bribes.
Zuma has for more than a decade been haunted by allegations and charges, dropped in 2009, implicating him in corruption linked to the arms deal. Though the National Prosecuting Authority withdrew 783 charges, the issue has been kept alive by the DA’s long court battle to have the decision reviewed. Judgment in the matter was reserved last month.
African News Agency