We need a full-blown arms deal investigation by the Hawks

The Democratic Alliance (DA) believes that what we need is a full-blown arms deal investigation by the Hawks.

A weekend newspaper [the Sunday Times] reports today that they are now in possession of an "explosive memo" that details a meeting where Chippy Shaik allegedly made a pitch for a US$3 million "success fee" from the German Frigate Consortium.

The fact is there seems to be compelling evidence of massive corruption in the arms deal, and yet attempts to properly investigate the arms deal appear to have been neutered by:

• deliberately under-resourcing the Hawks arms deal investigation;

• not properly cooperating and undermining investigations underway in foreign jurisdictions; and

• dodgy prosecutorial judgement calls by National Prosecution Authority head Menzi Simelane.

There is reportedly only one investigator in the Hawks - who has no proper computer equipment and limited air time on his mobile telephone - assigned to investigate the arms deal.

The Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa, has dodged parliamentary questions from me that probe the resources being made available by his department to the Hawks for the arms deal investigation.

The investigation is hugely complex and will require a large team of investigators to trawl through the mountain of documents in the possession of the Hawks. The DA will therefore be submitting detailed parliamentary questions to probe:

• the number of investigators assigned to the arms deal investigation;

• the resources made available to investigators for the arms deal investigation; and

• the total budget being made available for the arms deal investigation.

Statement issued by David Maynier, MP, Democratic Alliance shadow minister of defence and military veterans, March 28 2010

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