Civil society groups set to challenge the Arms Deal cover-up
18 August 2016
Corruption Watch (CW) and the Right2Know Campaign (R2K) are preparing to challenge the findings of the Seriti Commission in court. The litigation will be launched in the North Gauteng High Court in September 2016 and founding papers will be placed on the applicants’ websites.
The Seriti Commission was chaired by Judge Willie Seriti. It was tasked with investigating allegations of corruption in South Africa's arms deal. It ended its three-year investigation by stating that it had found no evidence of such – despite massive evidence which it failed even to look at during an investigation that cost the public over R100-million. Literally millions of documents, collected and stored by the now disbanded Scorpions, went unexamined.
Corruption Watch (CW) and the Right2Know campaign (R2K) will now challenge the findings of the commission in the North Gauteng High Court, aiming to having the outcome set aside on the basis that the commission failed to carry out its mandate. This was to carry out a full and independent investigation of the matter.
The court application will be primarily aimed at setting aside a finding which has been widely criticised on the basis that the commission did not carry out a proper investigation and simply accepted evidence which was presented to it by those who were involved in the arms deal, without questioning it or testing it. The organisations will not seek the establishment of a new enquiry but will limit relief to the setting aside of the commission's findings.