'They are absolutely on the right path. Under oath nobody can lie'
Greg Nott, managing partner of the South African branch of international law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf, said: "We've asked for everything."
The request for the transcripts was made under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, he said.
The recordings of an ASA council meeting held in Pretoria on September 12 and 13 are likely to expose several other high-ranking officials for having participated in the cover-up over ASA's role in the controversy.
The law firm has also advised Semenya on "the public pronouncements made on her behalf (by the ASA) that may be damaging and opposed to her cause and dignity".
The firm has confirmed that a group of local and international law experts, including human rights specialist Brian Currin, will be handling Semenya's case.
It is already known that Chuene lied about:
It is understood that the transcripts of the Pretoria meeting may also explain why Chuene managed to hang onto his job this week.
Two officials, whose names are known to the Sunday Times, accompanied Semenya to have a second round of sex tests done in Berlin, but neglected to be honest about this during the meeting, which was held before Chuene's public admission that he had lied.
Chuene came clean only after e-mails between ASA officials and the IAAF surfaced last week.
These showed that ASA took Semenya to Germany knowing there were concerns over her sex, and in doing so, it failed to protect her from the humiliation that followed.
"Caster's lawyers are absolutely on the right path. Under oath nobody can lie," former ASA coach Wilfred Daniels said yesterday.
The IAAF no doubt also faces legal action, as it was from there that Semenya's confidential medical information was leaked to Australian newspapers; they first published articles about the runner being a "hermaphrodite".
Nott said a request had already been filed with the IAAF for details on what the global body requested from ASA and on its own medical findings.
This week, after ASA failed to heed a call from the government to fire Chuene, the ANC lashed out at the leadership of the athletics body, and Cosatu called for Chuene's head.
South Africa's Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) has notified Chuene of its own probe into the matter. Sascoc CEO Tubby Reddy confirmed that its legal commission had been mandated to conduct the investigation.
Reddy said Chuene had been informed that all officials involved in the matter would soon be formally interviewed. Sascoc has the power to subpoena reluctant officials.
Reddy said once the investigation was concluded, Sascoc - depending on the outcome - could recommend that disciplinary action be taken against those involved, or recommend that President Jacob Zuma establish a judicial commission of inquiry.
Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven said yesterday that it would support any investigation into ASA.
"As you know, it was a decision taken by our congress (that ASA boss Leonard Chuene should go). It represents more than two million workers and you can take it that (the resolution) represents the feeling of workers across the country," he said.
This followed the ANC's statement saying the leadership of ASA had let the country down by failing to take action against Chuene.
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