There is substantial evidence indicating serious wrongdoing at the SA Bureau of Standards, Democratic Alliance MP Mark Lowe maintained on Wednesday.
He said his move to use parliamentary privilege on Monday to raise a series of allegations against the SABS management had not been taken lightly.
”From information made available to me … there is a substantial body of evidence suggesting serious wrongdoing at the taxpayers-funded organisation.”
SABS chief executive Eugene Julies has accused Lowe of abusing parliamentary privilege when he accused the SABS management of fraud and other transgressions.
Julies challenged Lowe to repeat his accusations outside Parliament so that they could be tested in court. The CEO declined to respond in detail to media questions,
saying: ”I will not stoop to the level of those who deem it fit to make these allegations.”
Lowe said on Wednesday individuals who had tried to expose the alleged misconduct had so far been subjected to persecution, prosecution and intimidation.
”For this reason I have used the platform of Parliament to blow the whistle and see that matters are properly investigated as required.”
The MP said his understanding was that the information made available to him had also been given to trade and industry minister Alec Erwin.
On Monday, Lowe said some SABS management members stood accused of ”highly suspect” foreign travel allowances, leave and financial irregularities, and of sexual harassment.
Julies’ ”dictatorial” management style was ”central to the myriad of problems”. The CEO was himself facing allegations of perverting the course of justice, Lowe said.
These stemmed from Julies allegedly signing a false statement after being involved in a drunk driving accident in which a woman died.
Lowe alleged Julies had also received a R40 000 discount on a Mercedes 4×4 vehicle.
On Wednesday, he repeated his call on Erwin to set up a commission of inquiry into the matter.
”It now rests with the minister to ensure that an independent review of these extremely (serious) allegations is carried out and that the law … takes its course,” Lowe said. – Sapa