[DEBATE] : (Fwd) Crawford-Browne defeated on Manuel's documents

[Patrick Bond]

Arms deal application dismissed
2 June 2008, 18:29

A Cape High Court judge on Monday dismissed an application to force 
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel to hand over arms deal documents, 
activist Terry Crawford-Browne said.

He said judge Daniel Dlodlo ruled in essence "that I had waited too long 
in asserting my rights to discovery of the documents".

"Whilst disappointing, the matter has already been overtaken by events - 
namely the Constitutional Court's confirmation on Thursday that Shaik 
bribed Zuma, and by the judge Hlop[h]e uproar," he said.

Crawford-Browne had asked the court for an order compelling Manuel and 
former treasury director general Maria Ramos to supply hundreds of pages 
of documents related to the multi-billion rand deal.

He said the two - against whom he was also seeking a contempt of court 
ruling - were ordered to supply the documents in a 2003 court challenge 
to the deal, but gave him only 224 of some 700 pages.

He maintained the documents, containing recommendations of the 
government's negotiating team on the deal, would "lay a trail" for 
investigators to track bribes by successful bidder BAE.

Manuel's legal representative said in court that Crawford-Browne had 
already been given all the documents he asked for.

The minister earlier this year won a temporary order preventing 
Crawford-Browne from accusing him of arms deal corruption, and has 
applied to make it permanent. - Sapa