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er Transport Minister Mac Maharaj has refused to comment on his
awaited response Wednesday to an audit report detailing payments
and gifts to him from Durban businessman Schabir Shaik and Nkobi
Holdings.
Last Wednesday, First Rand received an audit report into the
payments and gifts that they had requested from Deloitte and
Touche.
First Rand gave Maharaj, a director, who is on leave pending the
outcome of enquiries, a week to respond Approached yesterday,
Maharaj declined to comment on the report, or other issues, ahead
of the case against him being concluded.
The Sunday Times reports that the audit includes details of a
Maharaj family holiday to Disneyland that was paid for by
Shaik.
The newspaper claimed that the Scorpions unit had issued a subpoena
to Halliburton, a company with ties to US vice-president Dick
Cheney, to reveal why its subsidiary, Brown and Root had paid for
the trip.
It said that Mike Elsip, who was managing director of Brown and
Root at the time said although it had been billed for the trip, it
recovered the funds from Nkobi Holdings or Shaik himself.
Elsip said he met Maharaj once at a lunch organised by Shaik where
a proposed airport development at La Mercy in KwaZulu-Natal and a
new terminal building at Johannesburg International Airport was
discussed.
The Sunday Times said that Shaik confirmed that he had paid the
bill after asking Brown and Root to handle arrangements for the
holiday in July 1996, including hotel accommodation and a
limousine.
He claimed that at the time, one of Nkobi's subsidiaries, Procon
Africa, had been in talks with Brown and Root about projects in
various parts of Africa, including SA's airport developments.
Halliburton's former financial director, Dave Gerrard has confirmed
submitting an 11-page affidavit about the transaction to the
Scorpions.
Late last week it was reported that Maharaj's wife, Zarina, was
likely to be charged for tax evasion.
Shaik was grilled for six hours by the Scorpions last week on a
variety of issues including investigations into Deputy President
Jacob Zuma.
Investigations are attempting to ascertain whether Zuma tried to
solicit R500 000 from Thomson CSF/Thales, a company that benefited
from SA's multi-billion arms deal. – Sapa.
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