Cape Town - A coded, handwritten fax in French contained in the charge sheet against Schabir Shaik may hold the key to making a direct connection between deputy president Jacob Zuma and irregularities during the government's arms acquisition process.

The fax describes a secret meeting in Durban on March 11, 2000 attended by Zuma, Shaik and Alain Thetart of arms company Thomson CSF.

The fax was sent by Thetart to a colleague at Thomson CSF in France.

It reads as follows:

"After I met S Shaik in Durban on 30 September 1999 and spoke to JP Perrier on November 10, 1999 I was (finally) able to meet JZ for a private discussion in the presence of SS.

"I asked SS to at least obtain clear confirmation from JZ or, if he was unable to, an encoded statement (I have identified the code) to confirm the request by SS at the end of September 1999. This JZ did (in code).

"Let me just remind you the two primary objectives of Thomson CSF are:

protecting Thomson CSF during the current investigation (SITRON);
permanent support from JZ for future projects.
Amount: R500 K a year (until and including the first payment of dividends by ADS)."

According to earlier reports the coded letter is one of the reasons the Scorpions do not have a watertight case against Zuma, reports Adriaan Basson.

Zuma said he had only seen an English version of the letter and cast doubt on the existence of a French version.

Borrie le Grange reports that Jean-Marie Lebon, spokesperson at the French embassy in Pretoria, said no comment will be issued on the progress of a request to the French government for mutual legal assistance.

This could bring about the extradition of Alain Thetart and Jean-Pierre Perrier.

Lebon said as far as she knew the French government only extradited citizens charged with crimes against humanity.

Marius Conradie, first secretary at the South African embassy in Paris, said neither he nor ambassador Thuthukile Skweyiya could comment on the matter.

Administrative aspects of requests, such as those of the national director of public prosecutions, are in fact handled by the embassy. The South African embassy hands over such requests to the French foreign affairs department and justice department.

With acknowledgements to Jan-Jan Joubert and the Beeld.