Criminal charges brought against ex-spy boss Arthur Fraser over SSA irregularities

The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Thursday brought criminal charges against the former director-general of the State Security Agency (SSA), Arthur Fraser, regarding irregularities during his time at the spy agency.

DA MP and spokesperson on state security, Dianne Kohler Barnard, said it was under Fraser’s watch as deputy director for operations at the SSA that the Principle Agent Network (PAN) was established.

Criminal charges against Fraser

Funds siphoned

Barnard said millions of rand, if not billions, were reportedly siphoned off or spent irregularly, and the DA is requesting the South African Police Service (Saps) to investigate possible criminal offences.

The Democratic Alliance is also laying charges regarding Fraser’s possible involvement with the recording of the ‘spy tapes’.

The tapes played an instrumental role in dismissing the 783 corruption charges against former President Jacob Zuma relating to the arms deal.

Zuma ‘spy tapes obtained illegally’

Barnard said they believe the recordings may have been obtained illegally.

“In instances where the recordings were indeed legal, we believe that Fraser’s involvement in handing them over to Zuma’s legal team should be investigated as 42(1) of the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act 70 of 2002 states that no person may disclose any legally intercepted communications, except in certain limited circumstances,” Barnard said in a statement.

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Previous criminal charges

She previously brought a criminal complaint against Fraser in 2009, and DA leader John Steenhuisen did too in 2017; both cases allegedly disappeared without a trace.

“Given the political climate of the day, and the zero-tolerance stance South Africans are now taking against corruption and political interference, we believe that Saps will do its utmost in investigating these charges against Fraser, as well as the revelation that he lied on his CV causing prejudice to South African society.”

Given Fraser’s political access, the DA believes it’s only a matter of time before he’s given an ambassadorial post and finds himself beyond the reach of local law enforcement.

“We cannot allow a man who might have played an integral part in the capturing of our state and the travesty of justice to get away with it,” Barnard said.

Compiled by Thapelo Lekabe

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