Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08PRETORIA1460
2008-07-07 13:05:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Pretoria
Cable title:
GERMANY ABORTS PROBE INTO SOUTH AFRICAN ARMS DEAL
how-toR 071305Z JUL 08 FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA TO SECSTATE WASHDC 4977 INFO AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE AMEMBASSY BERLIN AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN AMCONSUL DURBAN AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG NSC WASHDC DIA WASHINGTON DC CIA WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS PRETORIA 001460
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: GM KCRM MARR PREL SF
SUBJECT: GERMANY ABORTS PROBE INTO SOUTH AFRICAN ARMS DEAL
UNCLAS PRETORIA 001460
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: GM KCRM MARR PREL SF
SUBJECT: GERMANY ABORTS PROBE INTO SOUTH AFRICAN ARMS DEAL
1. (U) The following message is based on local press reports
detailing events in Germany of great interest to the South
African public. German prosecutors aborted their probe into
a decade-old arms deal between the South African Navy and
German arms manufacturer, ThyssenKrupp. Despite repeated
calls from opposition leaders and local analysts for an
inquiry into Mbeki's role in the arms deal, no action in
South Africa has been taken to investigate the details of
this scandal. The two-year German inquiry concerned the sale
of four corvettes in the late 1990s in which ruling ANC
leaders allegedly profited from bribes in a multi-billion
dollar arms package involving Germany, the U.K. and Sweden.
Press reports indicated that internal memos from ThyssenKrupp
detail how Chippy Shaik, the former South African head of
defense procurement and brother of the infamous Schabir Shaik
(who was convicted in 2005 of corruption in this deal),
demanded three million dollars in exchange for contracts to
build corvettes for South Africa. After failing to secure
enough evidence to prosecute ThyssenKrupp during the
investigation, the Dusseldorf public prosecutor's office
opted to permanently dissolve the investigation.
BOST
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: GM KCRM MARR PREL SF
SUBJECT: GERMANY ABORTS PROBE INTO SOUTH AFRICAN ARMS DEAL
1. (U) The following message is based on local press reports
detailing events in Germany of great interest to the South
African public. German prosecutors aborted their probe into
a decade-old arms deal between the South African Navy and
German arms manufacturer, ThyssenKrupp. Despite repeated
calls from opposition leaders and local analysts for an
inquiry into Mbeki's role in the arms deal, no action in
South Africa has been taken to investigate the details of
this scandal. The two-year German inquiry concerned the sale
of four corvettes in the late 1990s in which ruling ANC
leaders allegedly profited from bribes in a multi-billion
dollar arms package involving Germany, the U.K. and Sweden.
Press reports indicated that internal memos from ThyssenKrupp
detail how Chippy Shaik, the former South African head of
defense procurement and brother of the infamous Schabir Shaik
(who was convicted in 2005 of corruption in this deal),
demanded three million dollars in exchange for contracts to
build corvettes for South Africa. After failing to secure
enough evidence to prosecute ThyssenKrupp during the
investigation, the Dusseldorf public prosecutor's office
opted to permanently dissolve the investigation.
BOST