The Democratic Alliance (DA) will ask prosecuting authorities to investigate arms-deal corruption allegations against Chippy Shaik after the Public Protector refused to investigate.
The party’s spokesperson on the arms deal, Eddie Trent, said on Friday the DA was satisfied with Public Protector Lawrence Mushwana’s response to its request.
”The DA agrees with the Public Protector that the best oversight agency to investigate the allegations of corruption against Mr Shaik is the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
”Consequently, the DA will be submitting a letter to the NPA in the next few days requesting that such an investigation be undertaken and that the public be kept regularly informed of the progress,” he said in a statement.
Shamin ”Chippy” Shaik was head of procurement in the Defence Department.
Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine recently reported that Shaik was allegedly paid a $3-million (about R21-million) bribe by one of the bidders in the arms deal.
According to the magazine, internal documents of Thyssen Krupp, a German company that supplied the South African Navy with four frigates, reveal that Shaik requested the bribe in 1998. The company apparently deposited the money to a non-existent company in London in 2000.
”We have it on good authority that the German prosecuting authorities have already submitted a letter to the relevant agencies in South Africa, requesting cooperation in the investigation of allegations of corruption,” said Trent. — Sapa