CAPE TOWN -- President Thabo Mbeki yesterday defended his decision to exclude the Heath Special Investigating Unit (SIU) from the probe into the controversial R43billion arms deal, while Parliament's watchdog public accounts committee met to thrash out internal differences.
Addressing journalists in Pretoria, Mbeki said government had no regrets about the way in which it had handled the matter.
"I don't believe that Judge (Willem) Heath and his unit would have handled this thing properly." ...
...In November last year the public accounts committee (Scopa) recommended that a meeting of at least four agencies take place to discuss a possible multi-pronged investigation into the arms deal.
At that meeting the committee called for the probe to be undertaken by the SIU, the Public Protector, the Auditor-General and the Investigating Directorate of Serious Economic Offences.
However, Mbeki refused to sign a proclamation to include Heath in the arms investigation.
Scopa agreed in a special meeting yesterday to set up a sub-committee to find consensus on the arms deal probe.
The sub-committee was expected to clarify the different perceptions of what Scopa had proposed to Parliament, especially whether the Heath unit should be part of the investigation.
ANC MPs reiterated they believed the resolution, and a subsequent Scopa meeting in Pretoria on November 13, had not singled out any agency for inclusion.
However, committee chairperson Dr Gavin Woods insists the inclusion of Heath was backed by all parties in the committee.
