SOUTH Africa?s official opposition is to ask Parliament’s joint committee on ethics and members’ interests to investigate claims that African National Congress chief whip Tony Yengeni may have failed to declare a gift of a luxury vehicle.
Auditor-General Shauket Fakie, Public Protector Selby Baqwa and National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka are also expected to meet in Pretoria to review the investigation into the state?s controversial multi-billion rand arms deal.
Democratic Alliance Chief Whip Douglas Gibson was reacting to a Sunday Times newspaper report alleging that Yengeni had acquired a luxury 4×4 vehicle from a company involved in the R43bn deal.
“Reasonable people will suspect from press reports that he received the vehicle as a gift or on loan, but that when awkward questions started being put a financing agreement was concluded.”
Gibson said he would ask the committee to begin a parliamentary investigation in terms of parliament’s code of ethics and register members interests.
Meanwhile, Yengeni says he will consider his legal options.
He did not answer questions raised by the article – including where he bought the vehicle – saying only: “There is a due process of law underway into the so-called arms deal. I respect this process. I will submit myself to it, as well as fully co-operate with the investigation. I will not submit myself to a witch-hunt by the Sunday Times.”
The newspaper reported that Yengeni had mysteriously acquired a Mercedes-Benz 4×4 while serving as chair of Parliament’s joint defence committee which played a role in the decision to buy the arms.
It was originally ordered as a “private staff vehicle” by DaimlerChrysler Aerospace South Africa (DASA).
DASA, through a joint venture, secured a contract to supply tracking radar for the corvettes bought in the arms deal package.
Yengeni allegedly only started paying instalments on the vehicle seven months after it was registered and only after rumours in Parliament that he had acquired the vehicle as a gift, the newspaper said.
The Sunday Times said an official investigation into how Yengeni obtained the car was under way by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, the Public Protector and the Auditor-General.
Dasa’s successor, European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (Eads), said Dasa had never tried to gain unlawful advantage in the arms deal.
ZA*NOW:
Yengeni?s mysterious Merc March 25, 2001
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