Chopper deal comes under fire

2003-02-04 22:49

Anesca Smith

Cape Town - Agusta Helicopters denied on Tuesday that Count Riccardo Agusta, who allegedly donated money to the New National Party (NNP) in exchange for the rights to develop a golf course near Plettenberg Bay, had any links with the company or the government's controversial arms deal.

The Italian company's South African representative, Patrick Chabrat, said Agusta's grandfather had been the founder of the company. Later, his father was president of the company, but sold it to the Italian government about 15 years ago.

At the weekend, the Democratic Alliance (DA) linked the company with the R60bn arms transaction. DA MP Raenette Taljaard said that if allegations of bribery were true, it raised serious questions about the granting of the helicopter contract.

In 1998, the government awarded Agusta Helicopters a R1.9bn contract to deliver 30 light helicopters as part of the arms deal.

Chabrat said he was unhappy about the allegations, but was not considering legal action at this stage.

'We only respond to facts'

Earlier, Sam Mkhwanazi, a spokesperson for the ministry of defence, said he did not know whether Augusta had any association with the company that is scheduled to deliver the first of the helicopters this year.

"We only react to facts and not assumptions," he said in reaction to the DA's allegations.

Taljaard said that during the investigations into the arms deal, other bidders for the helicopter contract, specifically Bell Helicopters from the US, made serious allegations about irregularities that occurred when the contract was awarded.

The DA wants the government to put their cards on the table as far as the procurement of the helicopters was concerned and to assure the public that no bribes were involved that could have influenced the granting of the contract.

"The joint investigating team virtually overlooked these allegations. One can only wonder whether the NNP was the only party that benefited from Palazzolo and Agusta's apparent generosity," Taljaard said.

Send e-mail to the reporter.

- Die Burger