Comment

We are not certain of the veracity of the claim by former ANC chief whip Tony Yengeni that former prosecutions boss Bulelani Ngcuka reneged on an agreement not to jail him.

The truthfulness or otherwise of Yengeni's statement will in due course be decided by a court of law.

In papers filed before the Pretoria High Court, Yengeni claims Ngcuka and former Justice Minister Penuell Maduna promised that he (Yengeni) would be fined R5 000 if he pleaded guilty to charges that he defrauded Parliament. Instead he was jailed for four years.

Now Yengeni has asked the high court to review the conviction, saying that he was tricked by the chief prosecutor, a charge Ngcuka has denied.

What concerns us most about this matter is the fact that the minister of justice and the chief prosecutor held a private meeting with Yengeni to discuss his case which at the time was pending before a court.

We find it extra-ordinary that they saw nothing wrong with having a private meeting with an accused to discuss the merits of his case. Their action showed poor judgment, and can only serve to strengthen the view among ordinary people that politically connected suspects receive special treatment from the organs of state.

Ngcuka and Maduna should have known better.

With acknowledgements to Philani Mgwaba and the Pretoria News.