FINAL REPORT OF THE PEOPLE’S TRIBUNAL ON ECONOMIC CRIME

The People's Tribunal on Economic Crime recommends urgent investigations and prosecutions into three areas of economic crime in South Africa: apartheid-era UN sanctions violations, the 1999 Arms Deal, and state capture. The Tribunal argues that sanctions-busting during apartheid aided crimes against humanity and created a culture of corruption that enabled the 1999 Arms Deal and subsequent state capture. Key recommendations include establishing a special prosecutorial team within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to investigate entities like Kredietbank and the French government, and creating a specialised commission and tribunal for crimes against humanity.

• The Tribunal concludes that violations of United Nations weapons boycott resolutions during the apartheid era constituted aiding and abetting a crime against humanity, as these operations propped up the apartheid regime.
• There is sufficient evidence to warrant thorough investigations into the French government and Kredietbank for their roles in facilitating the unlawful flow of arms and ammunition to the apartheid state through secret structures.
• The Tribunal asserts that the South African justice system has failed to prosecute those denied amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), despite the TRC's reports indicating that investigation was warranted.
• Regarding the 1999 Arms Deal, the Tribunal finds that the military equipment was likely unnecessary for South Africa's security and that the purchases were instead intended to facilitate corruption among politicians and other officials.
• The Tribunal identifies a causal link between apartheid-era sanctions violations, the 1999 Arms Deal, and subsequent state capture, suggesting that the earlier corruption enabled later systemic manipulation.
• Evidence suggests that state-owned enterprises, specifically Denel and associated companies, were manipulated to benefit private actors, including the Gupta family and certain political office bearers, rather than the public.

APA

Public Affairs Research Institute (2018). FINAL REPORT OF THE PEOPLE’S TRIBUNAL ON ECONOMIC CRIME. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Peoples-Tribunal-Final-Report-of-the-Panel.pdf

Chicago

Public Affairs Research Institute. FINAL REPORT OF THE PEOPLE’S TRIBUNAL ON ECONOMIC CRIME. 2018. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Peoples-Tribunal-Final-Report-of-the-Panel.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Public Affairs Research Institute |title=FINAL REPORT OF THE PEOPLE’S TRIBUNAL ON ECONOMIC CRIME |date=20 September 2018 |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Peoples-Tribunal-Final-Report-of-the-Panel.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{publicaffairsresearchinstitute2018final, author = {{Public Affairs Research Institute}}, title = {{FINAL REPORT OF THE PEOPLE’S TRIBUNAL ON ECONOMIC CRIME}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2018}, month = sep, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Peoples-Tribunal-Final-Report-of-the-Panel.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }