FINAL REPORT OF THE PEOPLE’S TRIBUNAL ON ECONOMIC CRIME

The People's Tribunal on Economic Crime reports that sanctions-busting during apartheid, the 1999 Arms Deal, and subsequent state capture are interconnected cycles of corruption. It recommends that the South African National Prosecuting Authority and international bodies investigate and prosecute state and private actors—including the French government and Kredietbank—for aiding crimes against humanity and facilitating corruption.

• The Tribunal concludes that violations of United Nations weapons boycott resolutions during the apartheid era constituted a crime against humanity, as these operations aided and abetted the apartheid regime. It specifically identifies the French government and Kredietbank as entities that facilitated the unlawful flow of arms and ammunition through secret and devious structures.
• The Tribunal asserts that there has been a systemic failure by South African state institutions to prosecute those who aided apartheid. It notes that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) identified individuals who were denied amnesty, yet only one such case has resulted in prosecution.
• Regarding the 1999 Arms Deal, the Tribunal finds that the stated purpose of national security was likely a cover for an illegitimate purpose: facilitating money-making for corrupt politicians and officials. It suggests that the decision to enter the deal was irrational because the military equipment was likely unnecessary.
• The Tribunal identifies a link between historical sanctions-busting, the 1999 Arms Deal, and modern state capture. It argues that the corruption in the Arms Deal and the earlier sanctions violations created the environment that allowed state capture to occur, specifically citing the manipulation of state-owned enterprises like Denel for the benefit of private actors such as the Gupta family.
• The Tribunal recommends the urgent establishment of a special prosecutorial and investigative team within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to investigate KBL, Kredietbank, Thales, Norinco, and Ferrostaal for aiding and abetting the crime of apartheid.
• The report calls for the South African government to negotiate with the United Nations to establish an international criminal tribunal if existing international courts fail to investigate the complicity of state and non-state actors in crimes against humanity.

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} }