President Jacob Zuma
Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has rallied behind President Jacob Zuma over new allegations linking him to the multi-billion rand arms deal scandal.
The Sunday Times reported that Zuma allegedly bankrolled by French arms company Thales and the ANC received US$1.4 million donation.
The newspaper published allegations that while he was still Deputy President, Zuma accepted a US$50,000-a-year bribe from a Thale agent, using code words “Eiffel Tower” to disguise the bribes.
The local subsidiary of Thales, Thint, is one of the companies linked to the arms deal controversy. It was awarded a massive contract by the government which is now under investigation.
Zuma’s spokesman Mac Maharaj said while there is nothing new in the allegations “the Presidency wishes to again advise anyone with information they believe can assist the Seriti Commission of Inquiry into allegations of fraud, corruption, impropriety or irregularity in the strategic defence procurement packages to forward that information to the commission so that it can be interrogated.”
The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Monday it would ask Judge Willie Seriti to subpoena the Thales agent, Ajay Sooklal, to give evidence before his commission.
DA MP David Maynier said Sooklal was reportedly employed by Thales as a lawyer and “fixer” for six years and may have personal knowledge of corruption that may prove useful to the Arms Procurement Commission.
The arms deal scandal involved a US$4.8 billion purchase of weapons by the government which was finalised in 1999.
The aims was to modernise South Africa’s defence equipment, which included the purchase of corvettes, submarines, light utility helicopters, lead-in fighter trainers and advanced light fighter aircraft.
