money
Chiara Carter
Jailed Vlakplaas commander Eugene de Kock has been approached to provide information about the missing millions squirrelled away in apartheid-era slush funds.
An investigation is under way into claims that a unit set up to find the missing money has itself been misusing state funds.
The National Intelligence Agency’s (NIA)request to De Kock was made public this week during an expos on the woes of the NIA special projects unit by the SABC’s Special Assignment. Its report said the unit wanted to recruit De Kock but negotiations had broken down. It also referred to secret Swiss bank accounts allegedly connected to De Kock.
De Kock’s lawyer, Schalk Hugo, said this week, however, his client had been approached for information, and nothing more. The NIA apparently wanted to find out if De Kock knew about mechanisms used to set up slush funds and who would know where the money is.
Hugo said his client was willing to co- operate with all government investigators and had met a range of officials from different state departments as well as overseas investigators including those from Sweden and the United Kingdom.
It is also understood that De Kock has been approached by NIA agents for information about former operatives now employed by the intelligence services and other state departments.
Meanwhile, an investigation, including a probe by the auditor general into allegations against the special projects unit headed by Thabo Khubu, is also under way. Several apartheid-era operatives were employed by the unit, apparently on a contract basis, and NIA agent Dirk Coetzee had been transferred to the unit but reported back on problems within a matter of days.
The allegations centre on inefficiency and lack of financial controls, which has seen agents pitted against each other. The claims include the misuse of money and personal threats, including a bizarre claim that Khubu threatened one operative with “another farm murder”. Special Assignment reporter Susan Puren’s claims that she was “monitored” throughout her investigation are to be probed by the NIA.
The exact amount alleged to have been misused by the unit is a secret and investigators are understood to be experiencing problems getting access to the unit’s secret bank accounts. It is also unclear how agents employed on contract by the NIA were free to discuss their work on camera, given the Official Secrets Act.