Citation
National Director of Public Prosecutions
National Prosecuting Authority
Adv. S Batohi
Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions
Head: Priority Crimes Litigation Unit
National Prosecuting Authority
Adv. R de Kock
By email:
ndpp@npa.gov.za / rjdekock@npa.gov.za
19 June 2024
Dear Advocate Batohi and Advocate De Kock
RE: MEMORANDUM ON THE POTENTIAL CRIMINAL LIABILITY OF WILLEM PJ EHLERS
FOR AIDING AND ABETTING THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE
Open Secrets has prepared a memorandum motivating for the prosecution of Willem PJ
Ehlers, a South African currently residing in Pretoria. We submit this memorandum in terms
of section 27 of the National Prosecuting Authority Act 32 of 1998. Accordingly, we enclose
for your attention an affidavit setting out briefly the investigative work Open Secrets undertook
before publishing the report “The Secretary: How Middlemen and Corporations Armed the
Rwandan Genocide” in May 2023. Attached to the affidavit is the legal memorandum
motivating for the prosecution of Ehlers for the offence of aiding and abetting genocide.
Please note that we have compiled the source material on which the memorandum is based
into one document, for your ease of reference. The material is available both electronically
and/or in hard copy. Kindly let us know what the most suitable method would be for your office
to receive the material.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully
________________________
Michael Marchant
Acting Director: Open Secrets