When the seven travel agents arrested in connection with the R16-million Travelgate, Parliament’s travel voucher scam, appeared in court on Monday, the question was: ”What about the MPs?”
But the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court was told that investigators’ interviews with parliamentarians are continuing under a protocol agreement with Parliament. ”Cases can’t be dealt with piecemeal … members of Parliament will have to be added to the travel agency consultants and that will be a case,” Scorpions advocate Jannie van Vuuren told the court.
Pressure will be upped on Friday when travel boss Soraya Beukes applies to regain bail, because of over a fraudulent application to travel abroad.
”MPs are being treated with kid gloves … it appears my client is being unfairly treated. The arrests of members of Parliament should have been effected long ago,” said her lawyer, Reuben Liddell.
Almost six months after the travel agents’ arrests, Travelgate remains a tangle of legal proceedings — from liquidations of the four implicated agencies, to high court action by Parliament to reclaim owed monies, counter-suits and the criminal case that returns to court in February.
At least a dozen MPs are repaying Parliament and liquidators hundreds of thousands of rands in owed travel monies after using parliamentary travel vouchers, meant for air travel between Cape Town and their constituencies, to fund holiday hotels, luxury car rentals or as trade-in for cash.
The travel agents’ defence lawyers maintained the MPs were given special treatment when they were allowed to make representations, while the travel agents were arrested immediately.
While interviews with at least 23 MPs started in September, one insider said delays occurred because all 19 African National Congress MPs involved in the interviewing process shared a single lawyer.
To date, only two MPs — both from the Democratic Alliance — have publicly admitted that they are under investigation; two others, from the New National Party, are also being probed.
In another twist related to Beukes’s forfeiture of bail, Sunday Times investigative reporter Mzilikazi wa Afrika was sacked last week.
He had vouched for her to a Mozambique-based hotelier, who invited her, but cancelled immediately after learning of charges against her. When Beukes nevertheless applied for travel permission she was deemed a flight risk and sent to Pollsmoor Prison.
Parliament has been severely criticised for its handling of the saga, uncovered in a forensic report it ordered in early 2003.
As it drew a veil of silence over the scam at least one state witness was placed under witness protection following threats and intimidation.
The Scorpions repeatedly denied that there was political pressure, but early this week it was clear it was taking its toll. ”There is immense pressure on the state… We have to make decisions on people in government. I can guarantee that’s not a joke,” said Van Vuuren.