Issued by: Government Communications (GCIS)
3 October 2001
The South African government has noted the arrest of the Chief Whip of the majority party and the charges brought against both him and Michael Woerfel of EADS. The charges include corruption and forgery of documents with the intent to defraud Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG, the South African parliament and the South African government.
As a matter of principle, our law-enforcement agencies have the obligation to carry out their mandate without fear or favour. The law must take its course; and as President Thabo Mbeki said earlier this year, those involved in any acts of corruption should meet their just deserts.
However, it is a critical principle of our justice system that any citizen is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and this principle applies to the two accused.
In so far as the Defence Procurement Process is concerned, government and the rest of society eagerly await a comprehensive report from the agencies responsible for investigating this matter. We remain confident however that the process of primary contracting which was the core function of government, was water-tight enough to obviate possibilities of corruption.
It is on the basis of the report of these agencies that government will determine appropriate responses. With regard to the current case, the matter of what immediate steps to take beyond this legal process rests with the political organisations concerned, including Parliament.
For further information contact:
Joel Netshitenzhe
0802-900-0083