JOHANNESBURG: Former ANC MP Andrew Feinstein questioned the role of President Thabo Mbeki in the controversial arms deal, while calling for a fresh investigation at a talk in Johannesburg on Friday.

"There were questions raised in the NEC (ANC national executive committee) as to whether Mbeki benefited from the deal. I have suggested in my book that he didn't … these are questions I have been putting for years," he said.

Mbeki had initially denied meeting an arms company in Europe, then said he could not remember the date, but SA ambassador Barbara Masekela has since confirmed the meeting, saying she helped set it up, Feinstein said.

The arms deal was the moment "we in the ANC lost our moral compass", and it continued to cast a "heavy and dark shadow".

"I think it will continue to do so until we have the full truth of what really happened."

Feinstein called for an "independent, unfettered" investigation into the deal so that the country could move on and deal with other issues like HIV/Aids and violent crime.

Feinstein said the ANC had an over R1 billion surplus and this needed to be examined for the possibility that some of the money could have come from arms companies.

"The ANC has a surplus of R1.6 (or) R1.7 billion, which is a large surplus for a political party. Did some of the money come from the arms deal?" he asked.

In response, ANC spokesman Steyn Speed said: "The ANC is on record as saying that it never received any money arising from the arms deal."

The ANC has formed a committee to collect information on the arms deal. - Sapa

With acknowledgements to Sapa and Cape Times.