Admiral who got arms company job denies graft

Rear Admiral Jonathan Kamerman, the former director of South Africa’s Project Sitron, which acquired four light frigates for the navy in 1999, on Tuesday rejected allegations of irregularities in the contracting phase of the project.

On Monday, R-Adm Kamerman explained to the Arms Procurement Commission the processes, events and decisions during Project Sitron’s acquisition of the four frigates.

The frigates, which are commonly referred to as corvettes, are currently in service with the navy.

R-Adm Kamerman dismissed suspicions that his joining ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems a few months after retiring from the navy in 2006 was the fulfilment of a bribe for corrupt activities in the selection of the German Frigate Consortium (GFC) as the preferred bidder to supply the frigates. ThyssenKrupp was part of the GFC.

The tender excluded combat suites that were supplied by a South African company.

On Tuesday, R-Adm Kamerman denied allegations of corruption and other irregularities contained in statements provided to the commission by the MD of the losing bidder in the arms deal, C²I² Systems’ Richard Young, and a joint statement by former African National Congress MP Andrew Feinstein and arms deal researcher Paul Holden.

R-Adm Kamerman denied that the former chief of acquisition for the arms d eal, Shamin "Chippy" Shaik, had any influence in the frigate platform and combat system selection process. The tender for the fitting of combat suites in the frigates was awarded to African Defence Systems, a company for which Mr Shaik’s wife worked.

R-Adm Kamerman denied allegations made by Mr Young that there was individual or government collusion with the Germans to bid for the supply of the frigate platforms in 1997. GFC did not submit a bid in 1993 as it was prohibited by the German government’s export controls to South Africa, he said.

After the German government lifted the export restrictions in May 1994, the navy decided to include GFC’s tender a few months later.

R-Adm Kamerman said Mr Young’s statement had mentioned that he was being investigated for bribery and corruption. After joining ThyssenKrupp in 2006, its offices were raided by the German state prosecutor, who was investigating allegations of corruption in the frigate contract.

"The search warrant stated in writing that I was not being investigated as an accused, but as a witness and a person of interest," Mr Kamerman said. "(This was) on the ground that I had in my previous career as a naval officer been central to ensuring the selection of the GFC as prime contractor and had left the South African Navy without permission to join ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems."

He said his home and office were searched and no incriminating evidence was found.

He had made a sworn statement that he had recommended the Spanish bid, not the German one, for the frigates. "On this information, the head investigator became flustered, as this was contrary to what she had been told and had believed."

That was the last time he heard from the prosecutor.

R-Adm Kamerman said the investigators found the original letter from the chief of the navy approving his joining ThyssenKrupp.