The storm around the reputation of murdered Swapo lawyer Anton Lubowski blew up again this week as Mr Justice Louis Harms alluded to evidence submitted by the South African Defence Force supporting claims that Lubowski had been a paid agent of South African Military Intelligence.
Harms cited SADF evidence to the effect that Lubowski had received money from South African Intelligence funds. The money, he said, had been paid through the accounts of intermediaries – who may not even have known their accounts were being used in this way. But Harms did not make any finding on the status of this evidence and said the commission would not launch any detailed inquiry until contradictory facts had been submitted to the commission.
This week SADF lawyers withdrew an application to preserve the secrecy of the Lubowski bank account. The identities of the intermediaries used by the SADF may therefore become accessible to family lawyers. And some of the unanswered questions about Lubowski’s life may finally be laid to rest. It remains uncertain at this point whether Lubowski was a traitor to his country or the victim of an elaborate frame-up.
Harms did however state that the SADF claimed in documentation that ”certain counter-performances” had been received from Lubowski. Harms confirmed in Pretoria yesterday that his commission received evidence last Friday to substantiate SADF claims that Lubowski was a paid agent of the SADF. He noted that sums of money had been recorded as having been paid out of secret SADF funds and into the accounts of intermediaries.
This article originally appeared in the Weekly Mail.
