Johannesburg - Over 30 organisations have called for the
Seriti Commission into the 1999 arms deal to be dissolved, the Right2Know
Campaign said on Monday.
"In light of recent events at the arms procurement
commission, including most recently the withdrawal of key whistle-blowers from
the process, more than 30 local human rights organisations have made the
following joint call for real arms deal accountability," spokesperson
Murray Hunter said in a statement.
They called for the commission to be dissolved, a full
criminal investigation to be launched, and the prosecution of those implicated
in wrongdoing.
"The Seriti Commission of Inquiry into the arms deal
represented a crucial opportunity to uncover the truth, but it has become
highly unlikely that the commission will fulfil its mandate."
They expressed concern that the commission had refused to
make large amounts of evidence public; that certain crucial documents that
pointed to corruption had been declared inadmissible; and that the commission
had failed to gain the public's trust after six senior commission staff members
resigned.
"The commission has failed to call witnesses from
the arms companies, from the list of known or suspected middlemen, or from any
of the foreign law enforcement agencies that have investigated parts of the
arms deal," said Hunter.
The organisations also expressed concern at the
commission's ruling which prevented witnesses presenting evidence which had not
been authored themselves.
"For these reasons we have lost faith in the Seriti
Commission's capacity to reveal the truth behind the arms deal. It has lost its
legitimacy in the eyes of the public."
Local organisations which supported this call included
Corruption Watch, Lawyers for Human Rights, Public Service Accountability
Monitor, and the Institute for Security Studies.
Eight international organisations also supported the
call.
