The State Security Agency (SSA) has rejected claims that it is helping its former boss Arthur Fraser in his bid to sue author Jacques Pauw for defamation.

“These unsubstantiated claims were made in a News24 report of Wednesday to the effect that the agency was aiding Mr Arthur Fraser in his bid to sue Mr Jacques Pauw for defamation,” the SSA said in a statement.

In 2017, Fraser demanded a retraction of Pauw's book The President’s Keepers‚ saying the author had “unjustly” accused him and his family of “criminal activity”.

The book alleged Fraser was complicit in looting hundreds of millions of rand from the Principle Agent Network (PAN) slush fund and that he was potentially guilty of treason for setting up a computer server at his home into which the PAN reports were fed.

The agency said claims that it was helping Fraser in his legal battle with Pauw were made after its demand to the author's lawyers to return all classified documents in their possession, which according to the Protection of Information Act were not supposed to be held by third parties.

“The acting director-general of the agency Mr Gab Msimang had received information that classified documents containing sensitive information about the operations of the agency were intended to be used as evidence in the lawsuit involving Mr Arthur Fraser and Mr Jacques Pauw,” the agency said.

Msimang instructed that the documents be returned immediately.

“As a matter of fact, we have been in discussion with the legal team of Mr Jacques Pauw and have agreed on certain protocols in terms of how that information must be handled,” said Msimang. “It is therefore both mischievous and opportunistic to suggest that the agency is shielding or aiding anyone in this regard.

“The obligation to protect classified information is sacrosanct and anyone who is in possession of such information is breaking the law and will be dealt with,” he added.

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