Criminal charges filed against Saab for bribery in sales of warplane Jas Gripen to South Africa

Criminal charges were filed today against Saab AB (Saab Inc.) for bribery. The reason is the emergence of new facts involving suspected bribery in connection with the sales of Jas 39 Gripen to South Africa in 1999 as well as in the counter purchases that were a part of the agreement. The organizations Diakonia, The Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation and The Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society brought the charges and now demand that the previously discontinued investigation must be resumed.

-This arms deal may be the biggest corruption scandal that a Swedish corporation has ever been involved in and our nation’s chief prosecutor must leave no stone unturned in efforts to ensure the whole truth is disclosed and that those responsible are brought to justice, says Anna Ek, President of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society.

New information presented in the book “Mutor, Makt och Bistånd - Jas och Sydafrikaffären” (“Bribery, Power and Aid - Jas and the South Africa affair”) indicates that suspicious payments have been made from Saab’s subsidiary Sanip to a businessman named Fana Hlongwane.  Hlongwane has close connections with the South African political elite and served as advisor to the minister of defense at the time of the closing of the deal. Hlongwane has also served as board member and CEO of the South African defense materials corporation Denel that was involved in the counter purchases.

-We have been warning all along that the sales of Jas to South Africa would undermine efforts at poverty reduction in that country and that the counter purchases would not benefit the poor. Now it has also become clear that the entire agreement was secured in a corrupt manner, says Bo Forsberg, Secretary General of Diakonia, a leading Swedish aid organization.

Politicians from both sides of the aisle have supported and devoted a great deal of diplomatic and political energy to convincing South Africa to purchase Jas Gripen. The government gave export credits through EKN (The Swedish Export Credits Guarantee Board) worth 16 billion Swedish kronor as well as multi-billion kronor loans from SEK (The Swedish Export Credit Corporation).

-We demand that an independent citizens’ commission be formed and charged with investigating the role played by the government in these arms deals. A frightening silence seems to prevail, whereby decision-makers seem to protect and watch out for each other, says Elisabeth Lundgren, Secretary-General of The Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation.

Anna Ek

President, The Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society

Bo Forsberg

Secretary General, Diakonia

Elisabeth Lundgren

Secretary General, The Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation