THE office of African National Congress Chief Whip Tony Yengeni says a statement might be issued on Sunday, following allegations that he mysteriously acquired a luxury vehicle, which was ordered as a “staff vehicle” by a company linked to the R43bn arms deal.
His representative Dennis Cruywagen said Yengeni was in Johannesburg and wanted to read the newspaper article before deciding whether to issue a statement.
The Sunday Times reported that the vehicle in question was Mercedes-Benz ML320 4X4, totalling R359_000 without extras when it was delivered nearly three years ago.
Yengeni was at the time the chairman of Parliament’s joint standing committee on defence, which played a key role in the decision to buy the arms.
The first official records of the vehicle indicated that it was dispatched from DaimlerChrysler’s East London office on September 15, 1998. It arrived at the company’s Johannesburg stockyard on October 19.
Computer printouts from DaimlerChrysler, said the Sunday Times, show the 4×4 was ordered as a “private staff vehicle” by DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA).
Dasa, through a joint venture, secured a contract to supply tracking radars for the corvettes bought in the arms deal package.
Three days after it was delivered to Johannesburg it was registered in Yengeni’s name in Pretoria and licensed in Cape Town, also in Yengeni’s name.
Traffic department records list the titleholder as Stanbic. However, bank sources deny this, saying it can find no record of any agreement on this vehicle.
They said the last agreement Stanbic had with Yengeni was for a different car in 1993.
The Sunday Times also reported that the vehicle apparently remained uninsured for five months, even though banks which financed vehicle purchases were loath to hand the money over to motor dealers until the buyer could produce proof of comprehensive insurance.
On March 12, 1999 – 140 days after the 4×4 was first registered in his name – Yengeni signed an insurance agreement with Millionsure.
During April that year rumours began to circulate that Yengeni had received the car as a gift.
Documents in the newspaper’s possession show that Yengeni only began paying instalments on the vehicle at that point.
Seven months after the vehicle was registered in his name, Yengeni entered into a finance agreement with DaimlerChrysler financial services (Debis) on May 28, 1999.
Had he been loaned the vehicle for seven months, he would have been obliged to record this fact in terms in Parliament’s Register of Members’ Interests.
Yengeni’s signed list of declared items for 1998 makes no mention of a Mercedes Benz.
DaimlerChrysler representative Annelise van der Laan told the newspaper: “DaimlerChrysler South Africa has no record of selling an ML320 to Mr Yengeni”.
However, her statement did not explain whether Dasa had sold him the vehicle.
Van der Laan said her company was aware of the allegations and had launched an internal investigation.
DaimlerChrysler and Dasa have since declined to comment saying the matter was sub judice due to a “judicial inquiry”. There is nothing of the kind.
Yengeni told the newspaper he had nothing to hide.
“I am very, very clear about this matter. Those that have information must take it to the police. I am a law-abiding citizen. “I have got nothing to hide. The investigators must investigate this,” he said.
The Directorate of Public Prosecutions, the Public Protector and Auditor-General are investigating the matter as part of the ongoing probe into allegations of corruption surrounding the deal.
The Sunday Times said Yengeni’s entire file at DaimlerChrysler had been attached and several staff members subpoenaed by the investigating team.