Fadiel Adams faces perjury warning over laptop claims

By Palesa Matlala

• Parliament says its records do not support Fadiel Adams’s claim that a faulty parliamentary laptop caused months of communication problems.

• Criminal law expert Dr Bongani Nkosi says Adams could face perjury charges if it is proved that he deliberately lied under oath.

National Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams could face fresh legal trouble over the faulty laptop he blamed for delaying his statement to the Madlanga Commission.

Criminal law expert Dr Bongani Nkosi said Adams could face a perjury charge if it is proved that he deliberately lied under oath.

The warning comes after Adams appeared briefly before the commission on Tuesday.

His full testimony was postponed to 19 August after he submitted his sworn statement after 9pm on Monday.

The commission had been trying to get the statement from Adams since 3 October last year.

Adams blamed much of the delay on problems with his parliamentary laptop.

“Parliament can confirm that I have a very problematic laptop. It is either in for repairs or frozen,” Adams told the commission.

He said the problems had continued for about 18 months and caused him to miss important emails.

Adams said he had instead depended on phone calls and colleagues to keep up with some of his work.

But Parliament has now challenged his version.

Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said its Information and Communication Technology service desk records did not show the repeated problems described by Adams.

“The records do not show a persistent problem with his laptop, repeated hardware failures or freezing, or the device being repeatedly booked in for repairs,” Mothapo said.

That difference between Adams’s version and Parliament’s records could become important if the matter is investigated further.

Nkosi said there could be consequences if Adams is found to have deliberately given false information under oath.

“There are offences that the witness can actually commit. One of them is perjury, which will then be lying under oath,” he said.

Nkosi stressed that this would depend on whether it could be shown that Adams had actually lied under oath.

He said another possible consequence could be contempt of the commission.

The legal expert pointed out that Adams is both a Member of Parliament and a witness who has a duty to cooperate with the commission.

Adams’s explanation has already received a furious response from retired judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga.

Madlanga questioned how Adams could properly perform his duties as a Member of Parliament if his laptop had been unreliable for such a long period.

Adams told the commission that he became aware of its emails about three or four months ago.

He also said he believed the commission would send him further questions because his name had repeatedly come up during earlier testimony.

“Eventually I realised that I wasn’t going to get a subpoena and that is why I emailed the commission,” Adams said.

Madlanga was not convinced.

“It seems to me that you are not taking this commission seriously,” he told Adams.

The retired judge went even further, telling Adams that he did not believe his explanation.

“Everything you’ve said thus far is just totally unbelievable. I do not believe it,” Madlanga said.

He questioned how Adams had been able to function in Parliament if his computer problems were as serious as he claimed.

“This should mean that you cannot function at Parliament as a parliamentarian,” Madlanga said.

He also warned Adams that his explanation raised questions about whether he was properly serving the people who elected him.

Madlanga instructed Adams to change the way he deals with the commission when he returns.

“Starting from now going forward, you must take this commission seriously,” he said.

The laptop dispute now adds another layer of controversy before Adams gives his full evidence.

His testimony has been moved to 19 August so that the commission’s evidence leaders and commissioners have enough time to study his late statement.

For now, Adams has not been charged with perjury over his evidence to the commission.

Nkosi’s warning is about what could happen if it is proved that Adams deliberately lied under oath.

When Adams returns, the commission is likely to have more questions waiting for him, including why it took him months to provide a statement and whether his explanation about his parliamentary laptop can be supported.

Pictured above: National Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams has come under fire over the faulty laptop he blamed for delaying his Madlanga Commission statement.

Image source: File.