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Former CEO of SA Passenger Railroad Agency, Lucky Montana.
Gallo Images / Sowetan / Esa Alexander
- Former Prasa CEO Lucky Montana says the state capture commission is biased and targets certain people.
- Montana issued a forceful statement after its commission hearing, which was due to begin Monday, was canceled.
- According to Montana, he submitted 31 packages of documents, but the commission allegedly said their attachments were incorrectly numbered.
Former head of the Lucky Montana rail agency has criticized the Zondo Commission of Inquiry over the state capture, claiming it is biased, following a predetermined agenda and targeting particular individuals.
Montana lashed out at the commission in a statement after its commission hearing, investigating allegations of corruption and state capture, was canned.
His hearing was expected to begin Monday, but he said the commission stated that the main reason for its decision was that its annexes, “… are not marked, numbered or incomplete.”
READ | Former Prasa Chief Lucky Montana Says He Is Ready To Testify In The State’s ‘Witch Hunt’ Capture
Since then, the former executive director of the SA Passenger Railroad Agency (Prasa) has written to the commission’s secretary, Professor Itumeleng Mosala, challenging the decision and the reasons for the cancellation.
“The decision aims to prevent these annexes from being admitted as evidence by the commission because they are damning [sic] the commission itself, your preferred witnesses, and ultimately the entire narrative that we stole or mismanaged public funds as part of the so-called state capture, “Montana said.
According to Montana, he submitted 31 packages of documents, “… which are clearly numbered, each described in detail in the index,” and linked to the attachment number on his affidavit.
Documents
“The commission claims that this is not in line with its own ‘practice’, which it has not shared with me,” he said.
On December 8, Montana said documents were collected from her home.
“A week later, I received a call informing me that my attachments will be returned, and these were delivered when I was not at home. When I returned and checked the documents, I found that they had been tampered with, copies made and brought back some of the attachments are missing.
“The commission analyzed the attachments for a full week, took note of the damning content and had to find a reason for not admitting my evidence. The marking and numbering of the documents was the only reason the commission could find. It is frivolous and lousy “, said. reclaimed.
Montana said the commission did not give him a chance to correct what was found to be wrong.
He said: “[It] Instead, I arbitrarily chose to cancel my evidence hearing. This is a case where the commission raises a technical point on the most important issue of unearthing evidence that could help the commission find the truth.
“In my reply letter, I indicated that if the commission prefers that the annexes be marked or numbered in a particular way in accordance with its established ‘practice’, then the format should be provided to me and invited to sit with the commission team for us to work together to ensure that each attachment is properly marked and assigned as part of the preparations for my testimony hearing. “
Montana recently detailed allegations to the Daily Maverick about alleged financial deals involving the ANC, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, and Maria Gomes, an Angolan businesswoman who got a 40 million rand portion of the infamous “high rail” contract from Prasa R3.5bn in 2013 and 2014.
READ ALSO | High court annuls Prasa’s 4.5 billion rand security contract with Siyangena Technologies
Montana claimed that he and Mkhize met regularly with Gomes at his home in Johannesburg in the period after Prasa awarded the controversial locomotive contract to Swifambo Rail Leasing.
Mkhize has denied Montana’s claims.
The commission is ‘biased’
“The commission’s decision is not surprising. I have always said that the commission is biased, it is following a predetermined agenda and targeting particular individuals. I am one of the people who are being attacked and every effort is made to frustrate me to tell my story, “Montana added.
Montana said it will seek legal advice on the legality of the commission’s decision.
Commission spokesperson, Mbuyiselo Stemela said: “The commission confirms that the commission secretary has written to Mr. Montana, and the answers to the questions are written in the letter sent to him. The commission does not discuss the communication between the commission and its witnesses.”
