Detailed departmental investigation of the allegations of an Ambassador who traded in influence and received payment.

QUOTE

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

QUESTION NO: 1024  (NW1172E)

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 11-2012 OF 4 MAY 2012

Mr DJ Maynier (DA) to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation:

Detailed departmental investigation of the allegations of an Ambassador who traded in influence and received payment.

1. Whether her department has investigated allegations that a certain Ambassador (name furnished) (a) traded in influence and (b) received a payment from a certain company (name furnished); if so ,what are the relevant details; if not, why not;
   
   
2. whether her department sanctioned any remunerated work by the Ambassador; if so (a) what type of work (b) what was the (i)name and (ii) type of business activity of the employer, (c) what amount of remuneration was received and (d) when was the work sanctioned;
   
   
3. whether (a) the Ambassador submitted a financial discloser form for each specified financial year in which he was employed by her department and (b) the form was submitted to the Public Service Commission; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case?

REPLY

1. Yes. The Department has instituted an investigation into the allegations that a certain ambassador received payment from a certain company. 
   
   
2. No. The Department did not receive a request from a certain ambassador to allow the ambassador to do remunerative work outside the Public Service.
   
   
3. Yes. A certain ambassador has submitted since the ambassador’s employment in the Department each financial year Financial Discloser forms as per requirement by the Public Service Commission.  Each financial year’s Financial Discloser form has been submitted to the Public Service Commission.