CW and R2K Seriti application set down for June

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The high court application lodged by Corruption Watch and Right2Know to review and set aside the findings of the Arms Procurement Commission (‘the Seriti Commission’) will be set down to be heard in June.

While the Presidency, the first respondent, has indicated that it will not oppose the application, it has also indicated that it is willing to make submissions to the court. Accordingly, the North Gauteng High Court has decided that the matter will be heard by a full bench of the court.

David Lewis, executive director of Corruption Watch, commented: ‘We welcome the decision of the court to have this matter fully ventilated despite the Presidency’s decision to abide by the decision of the court. The outcome of the Seriti Commission, which found that there was no corruption in the arm’s deal, is not credible and is a function of the thoroughly flawed manner in which the Commission went about its work.”

“The upshot is that it failed to bring about closure of this sordid episode in South Africa’s democratic history. Our legal argument, if accepted, will establish the ground rules for the operation of judicial commissions of enquiry, and will prevent those whose corrupt conduct tainted the arms deal from claiming that they have been exonerated,” said Lewis.