Terry Crawford-Browne, the prominent campaigner against the arms deal, will be back in court on Tuesday in a bid to stop Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel’s application for his sequestration.
Since 1998 Crawford-Browne has fought a one-man campaign to stop the deal and expose corruption in the defence acquisition process — and it has bankrupted him.
Crawford-Browne (61) had some successes; he was a key intermediary in the publication of the notorious Particia de Lille dossier, which set the arms deal investigation in motion. But he has also had costly failures, notably his 2001 attempt to have the Cape High Court overturn the deal by arguing that Manuel exceeded his powers and was reckless in signing multibillion- dollar loan agreements to pay for the weapons.
Last year that application was finally dismissed with costs, the judge finding that he should have attacked the Cabinet decision to purchase the weapons, rather than Manuel’s role in giving the decision effect.
An application for leave to appeal was also dismissed.
Now the finance minister wants a pound of his flesh.
In December last year, Manuel applied for a writ to be served on Crawford-Browne to pay the state’s costs in the case, billed at just less than R1-million. The sheriff of the court could find no assets. Crawford-Browne says he has nothing left but a rusty Fiat Uno.
Three months ago the minister launched an application to have Crawford-Browne sequestrated.
Crawford-Browne states: ”Having in the public interest brought the arms deal scandal to public notice … I have been fully vindicated by the convictions of Mr Schabir Shaik, Mr Tony Yengeni and the forthcoming trial of Mr Jacob Zuma. Mr Zuma, however, is a relatively peripheral character in the saga, who, I submit, is being scapegoated to divert attention from the real culprits. The Minister of Finance bears particular culpability, hence his malicious efforts to drive me into sequestration.”
The case is due to be heard on Tuesday in the Cape High Court.