‘No evidence of fraud, corruption in arms deal’

Johannesburg – There was no evidence to support allegations of bribery, corruption and fraud in the 1999 multi-billion rand arms deal, President Jacob Zuma announced yesterday.

“The commission states that wide-spread allegations of bribery, corruption and fraud . . . have found no support or collaboration in the evidence, oral or documentary placed before the commission. No evidence was found also through the commission’s own independent inquiries ,” he said during the release of the Seriti Commission of Inquiry’s report.

“The commission states that not a single iota of evidence was placed before it showing that any of the money received by any of the consultants was paid to any officials involved or members of inter-ministerial committee . . . or any members of the cabinet.”

Zuma said the commission also found that no evidence was presented before it to suggest that there was any undue influence in the selection of the preferred bidders.

Meanwhile, a News24 reporter has been left shaken after some of Zuma’s guards threatened her when she tried taking photos of his motorcade outside Parliament yesterday.

Jenni Evans, a Parliamentary reporter, said she thought she’d try to get a few snaps of Zuma as he was exiting the precinct. As she was doing so, one of his bodyguards approached her and tried to block her from taking pictures.

“[He] wanted to arrest me. I said be my guest but read your standing orders before you do so,” Evans said.

She said another guard joined in and then a third who was in a military suit. The guard told her she was a risk and said “I’ll take you away from here. Do you want me to take you away from here?”

Meanwhile, the members of the motorcade shouted to their colleagues that they should “take her phone”.

But Evans was having none of it. “Thank God I’m 6ft tall and luckily the one guy was quite short!”

Zuma had emerged from Parliament after announcing the findings of the arms deal commission of inquiry.

The commission found that there was no evidence of corruption or fraud in the deal.- AFP.