'Release full Scorpions report'
25/02/2008 20:02  - (SA)  

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Cape Town - The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on President Thabo Mbeki to make public the full report of the Khampepe Commission.

"I have today [Monday] submitted a request to the presidency to make the full Khampepe Commission Report public in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act," DA leader Helen Zille said.

The report, which set out the case to retain the Directorate of Special Operations, or Scorpions, in the National Prosecuting Authority, had yet to see the light of day, despite it having been presented to Mbeki 20 months ago.

Zille said there were very good reasons why Mbeki should release the report without delay.

"Not least is the fact that the ANC is about to drive legislation through Parliament that will achieve the opposite of what Judge Khampepe recommended.

"If Members of Parliament and members of the public are to participate in the legislative process effectively, they must be armed with the full facts. People should not have to rely on selective leaks from the presidency."

Zille said the report "presents a sound and rational argument for the retention of the Scorpions".

"If the president will not voluntarily release the report, we are left with no choice but to invoke the relevant legislation to obtain it ourselves," she said.