Scopa wants arms update

2003-08-22 17:14

Cape Town - Parliament's public accounts standing committee (Scopa) chair, Francois Beukman, wrote to the heads of six National Assembly committees on Friday requesting an update on their supervisory work regarding the arms deal.

The move comes at the end of a week that has seen the controversial multi-billion rand deal firmly back in the parliamentary spotlight, and, once again, high on Scopa's agenda.

Beukman, of the New National Party, said a resolution of the House in December 2001 called on seven parliamentary committees to maintain a close eye on various aspects of the deal.

"I think it is important to start the ball rolling in terms of that (reporting back to parliament)," he said.

The committees involved were finance, trade and industry, ethics, defence, justice, public service and administration, and Scopa - the watchdog committee that first called for the arms deal to be probed.

Among others, the finance committee was tasked with checking the costs of the deal, while trade and industry was asked to keep an eye on the national participation agreements.

The arms deal was investigated by the AG, the Public Protector and the National Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

The agencies presented their report to parliament in November 2001, finding no evidence of unlawful conduct by the state.

But, the deal and the investigation have hit the headlines again this year following media claims of serious omissions in the final report, and allegations Deputy President Jacob Zuma solicited a bride from a company linked to the deal.

Auditor-General Shauket Fakie denied, during a Scopa hearings earlier this week, accusations the report was "doctored".

The AG also questioned what MPs had done, so far, in following up issues raised in the final report.

- SAPA