Why
is Chippy Shaik in hiding if he has nothing to hide?
That was the
question from Richard Young, the former Pietermaritzburg engineer who so riled
Shaik, the erstwhile head of the government arms procurement
programme.
Young, a whistle-blower on the government's controversial
R65-billion arms deal, has been at the centre of an effort to prove that Shaik
plagiarised an engineering thesis that earned him a doctorate from the
University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Shaik was awarded the doctorate in 2003.
Young says that in May 2002, Shaik left the employ of government (where he
headed arms procurement). He changed his university registration from part-time
to full-time and submitted a thesis six months later.
'It is
incredible how there is such an effort at damage control based on so little
facts'
"That's an unusually short time to do the work required to get
a doctorate," Young told The Mercury on Wednesday.
Young has also taken
issue with comments that Shaik's brother Yunus (sic - Yunis)
*1 made to The Mercury this week.
"It's not true of him to say
Chippy wasn't aware of the allegation that he plagiarised his thesis. He was given the right of reply, which he took up. It is
incredible how there is such an effort at damage control based on so little
facts.
"It's horse manure to say that I am saying that Chippy plagiarised
himself. Material (in his thesis) is copied from at least seven journal papers,
most of which are not even part-authored by him and as far as I'm concerned, the
thesis doesn't qualify him as an engineering doctor.
"It doesn't appear
that he has contributed anything new to the field."
Young challenged
Shaik to a television debate after UKZN had made a finding. "Where is Chippy?
Why isn't he fighting this himself?" Young asked.
On Tuesday, Yunus
Shaik, who is an attorney acting for his brother, said Chippy was not in hiding
or on the run from the authorities in connection with a R21-million bribe
allegedly paid to him by Thyssenkrupp, a German arms manufacturer.
"Facts
have been presented in the media that Chippy has fled. Where to and from whom?
The Scorpions haven't even phoned to say 'we'd like to talk to you,' " Shaik
said.
He said his family believed the plagiarism allegations appearing on
the eve of Schabir Shaik's Constitutional Court challenge, and the surprise,
predawn transfer of Schabir from hospital back to Westville prison", was all
part of a "victimisation" campaign.
Young said he knew the German
authorities were "very interested in getting an explanation from him (Chippy) on
certain aspects of the corvette deal".
Yunus Shaik has previously said
that Chippy was in Mozambique on business and in Durban with family. Newspaper
reports earlier this month said Chippy had flown to Australia via Singapore.
Schabir Shaik's present court challenge is an attempt to overturn a 15-year jail
term for corruption.
• This article was originally published on page
3 of The Mercury on May 24,
2007
With acknowledgements to Greg Arde and Independent Online.
Me, former engineer?
Someone must have revoked my
PrEng at ECSA? Gotta go.
*1Spot the
Difference
Shamim=
Shamin
Yunus=
Yunis
Shaikh= Shaik
It seems that these broers
chop and change their names for some or other reason.