JOHANNESBURG (dpa): South Africa's top arms control committee said on Thursday it was investigating allegations that front companies in the country are involved in exporting military equipment to Iran. The allegations, made by the Sunday Times newspaper, say a Canadian company would buy helicopters from a US-based firm. The goods would then be shipped to South Africa where front companies would re-register the items and send them on to Iran, using Russian cargo carriers. “We have already started investigations against the companies mentioned and individuals mentioned,” Vanessa du Toit, from the National Conventional Arms Control Committee, told parliament. According to the SAPA news agency, Justice Minister Jeff Radebe told the committee South Africa did not allow any exports to Iran that violated United Nations sanctions. The report in the Times implicated the partner of Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, saying she was involved in paying bribes. Motlanthe said he wanted an investigation opened into any wrongdoing, in the spirit of fighting corruption. The latest allegations come at a time when South Africa's relationship with Iran is in the cross-hairs. South Africa gets more than a quarter of its oil from Iran, but the United States is putting pressure on Pretoria to stop importing the crude. Other firms from Africa's largest economy are also invested in Iran. MTN, a South African telecommunications company, has a 49 per cent stake in Irancell, which has 33 million customers. Many companies have indicated that doing business in the Persian country is becoming more complex, because financial transactions are affected by sanctions. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/MIPLH Tags: Arms Deal, Iran, South Africa Section: Iran, Latest News
