Kwazi Dlamini | Corruption Watch | 07 February 2018
The People’s Tribunal on Economic Crime, currently in session at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, is drawing to a close but it has certainly produced its share of sensational revelations.
On Monday Ajay Sooklal, formerly a legal representative of French arms company Thales, dropped a bombshell by revealing a range of key role players in the alleged corruption clouding the arms deal. Those named included President Jacob Zuma, former president Kgalema Motlanthe, and two former French presidents, Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy. Thales – previously known as Thomson-CSF – won a stake to provide the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) with modern arms but the deal sparked outrage when rumours of bribery and corruption surfaced.
It was not the first time “Witness X”, as he was called before his testimony, spoke out about Thales’ involvement in procurement relating to the arms deal. Sooklal had told eNCA in May last year that, should the corruption charges against Zuma ever come to court, he was willing to testify that Thales bribed Zuma with cash payments, luxury stays in expensive hotels and designer clothes.
Source: Corruption Watch
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