German fraud suspect Jurgen Harksen on Thursday recanted on earlier testimony to the Desai Commission, saying he had been mistaken about his reasons for cancelling a cheque for the Democratic Alliance.
Harksen, back on the stand after a break of almost two months, was being cross examined by DA advocate Peter Hodes on donations of R750 000 he claims he made to the party at the beginning of last year.
In his earlier testimony, Harksen told the commission he cancelled a R285 000 cheque in a fit of pique at DA fundraiser and Western Cape finance MEC Leon Markovitz.
Markovitz, he said, had ordered 20 cases of wine from an estate run by an acquaintance of Harksen’s, and had not paid for it.
However on Thursday he told the commission that he had been mistaken, and that the fight with Markovitz and the cancellation of a cheque had been over something to do with an investment in the Sports Cafe, not the wine.
”So your previous evidence is incorrect?” asked Judge Siraj Desai.
”Yes, this is what I have found,” said Harksen.
Asked why he had changed his testimony, Harksen said he did not have all his papers, and was involved in many cases.
”Everything comes out of my memory, and it is not easy,” he said.
He said the reason a R500 000 cheque made out to the DA as an initial donation on February 16 last year was never cashed because Markovitz had decided he did not want the transaction with Harksen recorded in the DA books.
He had then given the R500 000 in two cash amounts, partly in rands and partly in Deutschmarks, and added another R25 000 in rands. – Sapa