JUSTIN ARENSTEIN, Nelspruit | Monday 3.00pm.
JUDGE Willem Heath refused to comment on his meeting with Mpumalanga finance MEC Jacques Modipane on Monday, insisting that the discussions are too sensitive for public dissemination.
The two met in Johannesburg to discuss the results of forensic handwriting tests on three signatures attributed to Modipane. The signatures appear on the back of three illegal promissory notes that use 32 public game reserves as collateral for offshore loans totalling R340-million.
The promissory notes were issued without Treasury, Reserve Bank, cabinet or ministerial approval.
Modipane has publicly denied signing the documents and instead accuses Mpumalanga Parks Board (MPB) officials of electronically forging his signature.
“We cannot disclose the content of {Monday} morning’s discussions. They were far too sensitive. Both the police and the Investigative Directorate for Serious Economic Offences are also investigating the issue and we do not want to jeopardise their work,” said Heath’s spokesman, Guy Rich.
Rich did, however, confirm that Heath has the results of two South African forensic tests on the signatures, as well as an independent American test.
The American test, released in New York, indicates that the signatures are originals and not electronic copies.
The test also confirmed all three signatures were made by a single individual but was unable to attribute them to Modipane due to a lack of comparative handwriting samples.
“It is difficult to say when we will release the South African findings because of the criminal investigations. We do not want to jeopardise any potential court procedures,” said Rich. Modipane also refused to comment on the meeting or confirm that he delivered an extensive multi-media presentation with a large number of substantiating documents on the promissory note saga.
Rich added that Heath will conduct a series of Section 5 hearings in Nelspruit on Thursday and Friday to conclude the unit’s investigation into the promissory note aspect of its probe into the MPB. — African Eye News Service