Winnie was arms deal mole, witness claims

08 October 2014 - 02:01 By Ernest Mabuza
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Terry Crawford-Browne. File photo.
Terry Crawford-Browne. File photo.
Image: Terry Shean

Arms deal critic Terry Crawford-Browne dropped a bombshell yesterday when he named Winnie Madikizela-Mandela as one of the MPs who allegedly leaked information about the notorious arms deal.

Madikizela-Mandela could not be reached for comment.

Giving testimony at the arms deal commission, Crawford-Browne said it should recommend to President Jacob Zuma what legal action to take against former president Thabo Mbeki and former cabinet ministers Trevor Manuel and Alec Erwin for their role in the acquisition of military equipment in 1999.

He accused the three of wilfully ignoring all warnings about corruption relating to the deal and recklessly implementing the arms acquisition process.

He accused them of deliberately obstructing justice by engaging in a multifaceted cover-up.

He earlier testified that ANC whistleblowers, supported by ANC MPs, produced boxes of documentation to support allegations of fraud and corruption in the deal.

There was no shortage of evidence of corruption, he said, but having brought this evidence to the attention of the commission, it was not the job of the critics to investigate or prove it.

Mbeki, as deputy president in 1998, presided over meetings of the inter-ministerial committee that oversaw the Strategic Defence Procurement Package, as the arms deal was formally known. Erwin and Manuel sat on that committee.

Crawford-Browne said the deal contravened regulations in the constitution on government procurement and the president and his ministers had to act in accordance with the constitution.

"They are required to be accountable, both individually and collectively, for the exercise of their powers and performance of their functions."

A decision on a confidential report that Crawford-Browne wanted to refer to in his testimony will be made this morning when commission chairman Judge Willie Seriti delivers a ruling on an application by German company Ferrostaal for it not to be admitted.

The report was prepared by US law firm Debevoise & Plimpton for Ferrostaal in April 2011 and leaked through a website similar to Wikileaks. Crawford-Browne wanted to use it to show that Ferrostaal, part of the consortium supplying submarines, made questionable or improper payments on projects.

Seriti earlier suggested that a decision not to admit the report could fuel the perception that the commission was withholding vital evidence. But yesterday he indicated he would rule otherwise.

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