We have been shafted by the decision not to prosecute BAE

The Democratic Alliance (DA) believes that the plea bargain agreement reached between BAE, the Serious Fraud Office in the United Kingdom and the Department of Justice in the United States was not in the interest of truth and justice in South Africa.

The fact is that we have been shafted by the decision to reach a plea bargain agreement and not to prosecute BAE.

The details of the various investigations will remain hidden as a result of the plea bargain agreement and nobody - whether they bribed or whether they took bribes - will be held to account.

Yesterday it was announced that BAE has agreed to pay penalties in the amount of US$400 million in return for admitting to false accounting and making misleading statements after reaching a simultaneous plea bargain agreement in connection with arms deals in countries including Saudi Arabia, Czechoslovakia and Tanzania. 

BAE had been under investigation for allegedly paying bribes to senior politicians and officials in connection with the acquisition of 24 Hawk trainer jets and 28 Grippen fighter jets for the South African Air Force.

The investigation by the United Kingdom's Serious Fraud Office was probably the last best hope of getting to the bottom of what really happened during the arms deal. That investigation has now been terminated, and we will now probably never know who received bribes and kickbacks from BAE.

Statement issued by David Maynier, MP, Democratic Alliance shadow minister of defence and military veterans, February 7 2010

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