NEWS & ANALYSIS

Jacques Pauw: 'IG wanted letter from me to clear his name'

Author says he did not have the two IGI reports about the PAN project when writing his book

Jacques Pauw: 'Inspector-General wanted letter from me to clear his name'

12 April 2018

In a bid to clear his name, Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI) Setlhomamaru Dintwe sought proof in black and white that he had not supplied  The President's Keepers author  Jacques Pauw with top secret security documents.

Dintwe requested a letter from Pauw to confirm that neither he nor his staff had given Pauw the state security documents, Pauw told News24.

Pauw said Dintwe had told him at the time that there were perceptions at the State Security Agency (SSA) that his office provided him with the documents.

Pauw's revelation follows the release of a statement on Wednesday in which Dintwe said he had launched an urgent court application in which he accused SSA director-general of Arthur Fraser of interfering with his functions and of seeking to revoke his security clearance.

"He referred to two reports from his predecessor, Faith Radebe, about Fraser's abortive PAN (Principle Agent Network) project," Pauw said.

Fraser initiated and oversaw the PAN project as the then deputy director-general of the National Intelligence Agency, from 2007 to 2009.

"Dintwe wanted a letter from me that neither he, nor any of his staff, had given me such documents.

"He said: 'Your letter confirming that I have never shared any report with you is critical'," Pauw added.

Pauw said he furnished him with the letter.

"When I wrote my book, I didn't have the two IGI reports about the PAN project. In fact, in 2014 the SSA said that the IGI had exonerated Fraser and the SSA about their alleged criminal complicity in the PAN project," Pauw said.

He said the reports were given to him after his book was published.

Meanwhile, Dintwe said on Wednesday that he would ask the court to put in place measures to "ensure my personal security", following Fraser's "brazen and unlawful actions".

Fraser was implicated in The President's Keepers and was accused of running a parallel intelligence network during a previous stint at the spy agency before 2010.

According to the book, an internal SSA probe concluded that Fraser should be charged with treason for his role in the running of the SSA's PAN programme.

Dintwe said he had received complaints against Fraser, which were serious and had a damaging effect on the standing and the image of the intelligence services.

In May last year, the DA lodged a formal complaint with the office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence, requesting an investigation into Fraser's involvement with the PAN project.

News24