De Lille arms deal dossier 'bizarre'

ANTI-ARMS deal activist Terry Crawford-Browne has described how Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille had used the "bizarre" arms deal dossier to fashion her political career.

Crawford-Browne made this claim in a letter to the Weekend Argus that he also forwarded to the Arms Procurement Commission yesterday.

The commission, sitting in Pretoria, is investigating alleged corruption in the government's acquisition of military equipment from 2000.

Crawford-Browne testified on Tuesday that De Lille had told him that ANC MP Winnie MadikizelaMandela was one of the ANC MPs opposed to the arms deal. De Lille denied this claim.

In the letter, Crawford-Browne said the importance of the De Lille dossier was not its content but the hysteria it evoked in the government and the witchhunt that followed.

The dossier named senior ANC officials who allegedly received kickbacks from the arms deal.

Crawford-Browne agreed with Marumo Moerane SC that the dossier was bizarre. Moerane represents former president Thabo Mbeki and the ministers in the cabinet sub-committee who took the decision to implement the arms deal in 1999.

Crawford-Browne also agreed with Moerane that the dossier was found, during earlier evidence before the commission, to be lacking in substance.

Moerane told Crawford-Browne that his evidence lacked substance. "You have a penchant to name names without any proof," Moerane said.

Crawford-Browne's evidence should be dismissed as it was not based on facts, but on hearsay and rumour, he said.

The commission is expected to continue on October 20. - Ernest Mabuza