De Lille submits affidavit

In the affidavit, De Lille said she called for a judicial inquiry to probe the arms acquisition programme and the offsets.

 

This was to determine whether certain officials and public representatives were guilty of criminal conduct in the arms procurement process.

 

She said she made the call in September 1999 as an MP of the Pan Africanist Congress.

 

"The basis for my call was a document and annexures which were given to me by concerned members of the ANC. This document became known as the De Lille Dossier," De Lille said in the affidavit.

 

The dossier contained allegations which she believed government should investigate.

 

"I have never claimed that the allegations prove the guilt of any person mentioned in the dossier."

 

She said she submitted the dossier to the commission almost 14 years later, on July 25, 2012, requesting that allegations contained therein be investigated.

 

"The information was given to me in confidence and I will not reveal the source.

 

"I have sufficient personal knowledge regarding allegations contained therein to assist the commission by way of oral evidence.

 

"I accordingly ask for the contents of the dossier to be investigated," she said to the commission last year when handing over the dossier.

 

De Lille was the initial whistle-blower regarding the arms deal, and called for Parliament to investigate.

 

The commission, chaired by Judge Willie Seriti, was appointed by President Jacob Zuma three years ago to investigate alleged corruption in the country's multi-billion rand arms procurement deal in 1999.

 

(File photo: Gallo images)