French arms company Thomson CSF was asked to give money to the Jacob Zuma Education Trust Fund while knowing little about this body, the Durban High Court heard on Monday.

Under cross-examination in his fraud and corruption trial, Schabir Shaik said he never referred to the trust fund or to now Deputy President Zuma in his correspondence with the French *1.

This approach was maintained in a two-year pursuit to get money from Thomson CSF for the trust.

"The nature and sensitivity of the matter had not been resolved in the minds of the French," Shaik said.

State prosecutor Billy Downer asked why Shaik had only given the French two brochures about the trust and no other information.

He was also asked why Thomson bosses Alain Thetard and JP Perrier were not introduced to the board of trustees.

Shaik replied "I could comfortably deal with the French on my own."

The State alleges the money Shaik wanted was not for the education trust fund, but a bribe for Zuma.

This R500 000 bribe is contained in an encrypted fax authored by Thetard and handed in by the State as evidence.

Shaik denies any knowledge of the fax.

The State says the bribe was to buy protection during the investigation into irregularities in the 1999 multi-billion rand arms deal.

With acknowledgement to Sapa.

*1 Dis justda wonga, stupid.