UDM PREPARES QUESTIONS FOR ARMS DEAL INVESTIGATORS.

The United Democratic Movement has prepared about 30 detailed questions on the arms procurement process to put before the joint investigation team this week. UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said in a statement on Sunday his party would grill the investigators before Parliament as the arms report had raised more questions than answers. "Their failure to provide satisfactory answers will necessitate the appearance of the Cabinet sub-committee and its chair, (President Thabo) Mbeki, before Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (Scopa)." Holomisa said the latest in a "string of farcical attempts at sidelining Scopa" was the decision that the investigators would appear before a "mass-meeting" of parliamentary committees. "The result is that Scopa, who initiated this investigation, will now have to compete with dozens of African National Congress voting cattle from other committees... "(They) will no doubt waste the time for asking probing questions and then enforce the preordained decision of the executive." Holomisa said that was why his party had decided to publish a list of questions. The list includes queries on the chief of acquisitions, Chippy Shaik's, involvement in the deal. "Has the 'Special Review by the Auditor-General on the Strategic Defence Packages' been shown before its publication and tabling in Parliament to members of the executive... (and) Mr Shaik, and have they changed anything in the draft shown to them?" The UDM statement also said the report found that Shaik had breached a series of procedures and rules and allowed a serious conflict of interest to contaminate his role in the decision-making process. "Did any member of the executive know about this conflict of interest, and in what sense is anyone of them responsible for the actions of such a senior official?" The party further wanted to know whether the contracts given to companies, as a result Shaik's behaviour, would be cancelled. Another question stated: "Having conducted the investigation and discovered certain abnormalities, on what did the joint investigation agencies base their absolution of the government from any wrongdoing?" Holomisa said six of the ...