Parliament - The Prasa scandal was “bigger than Nkandla” and warranted an investigation by police and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane said on Tuesday.
During a media briefing in Parliament, Maimane said he would ask the police to investigate criminal charges against former Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) boss Lucky Montana who was implicated by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela in several instances of financial mismanagement.
“I believe that Lucky Montana’s place is actually in jail. Therefore we must lay a criminal charge against Montana for fraud and for corruption and we lay them under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, where we believe there was a significant abuse of position and authority and the violation of a legal duty or a set of rules,” he said.
The leader of the country’s biggest opposition party said he would also write to the SIU to ask for a forensic investigation into misconduct at Prasa to determine whether anyone could be held criminally liable for their actions.
“The scathing findings by the Public Protector of improper awarding, and extension and appointments of tender contracts to companies and connected individuals by the GCEO and the Prasa board must be condemned in the strongest terms as this ultimately resulted in wasteful expenditure of well over R355 million,” Maimane said.
“This is a scandal bigger than Nkandla if you understand the extent to which Prasa’s mismanagement results in.”
The Congress of the People (COPE) said it would also approach the police with the intent of laying a criminal charge against Montana.
“Lucky Montana does not see the seriousness of this report. He thinks that this is purely a fiction spun by the Public Protector. His bravado will not hold, Cope will look to press charges against him,” said COPE spokesman Dennis Bloem.
Madonsela’s report, titled ‘Derailed’, and released on Monday, made numerous adverse findings against Montana, including alleged maladministration and financial mismanagement involving millions of rands, as well as improper conduct.
Montana has denied the allegations, and reportedly said the report was inaccurate and inconsistent. He indicated that he would approach the courts to have the report set aside.
Bloem said President Jacob Zuma had “set a very bad and dangerous example” after Madonsela’s recommendations that Zuma pay a portion of the costs for the security upgrades at his Nkandla home were not implemented.
“His [Zuma] palpable disrespect for the office of the Public Protector will inevitably invite the same kind of response from others who are fingered by the Public Protector for malfeasance. Zuma’s contention that the Public Protector’s office is not a court of law will encourage many wrongdoers to take a similar stance,” he said.
The ruling African National Congress also called for swift action following the release of Madonsela’s findings.
“The ANC calls on the Board of Prasa and the Minister of Transport to urgently consider the report issued and put in place a process to ascertain the veracity of these allegations,” ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said.
“Corruption is the anti-thesis of the society we want to build and the ANC is committed to ensuring that it becomes a very unique exception in our country. As South Africans, we must be totally intolerant to such deviant behaviours and those found guilty of such transgressions must be brought to book.”
ANA