The official legal adviser to Deputy President Jacob Zuma yesterday contradicted earlier evidence heard in the Schabir Shaik fraud and corruption trial that Zuma submitted a R2m revolving loan agreement with Shaik to Parliament.

Linda Makathini, who became the state-appointed adviser to Zuma after he assumed his parliamentary position in 1999, told the court yesterday she first came across the loan deal while sorting documents Zuma had brought with him from KwaZulu-Natal.

By annually signing the declaration documents she submitted on his behalf, Zuma was confirming he had never submitted the original to Parliament, Makathini said.

The issue is central to Shaik’s defence, because if it were established that Zuma did submit the agreement to Parliament, this would refute the charge that Shaik paid out R1,2m to Zuma without expecting reimbursement.

Shaik, who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of corruption and one of fraud, claimed Zuma signed the agreement with him on May 16 1999 and that it was lodged in the confidential registry in Parliament.

During his evidence, Shaik testified that Zuma had requested the original document to submit to Parliament’s confidential registry, and that until 2002 he discussed the loan each year with MP John Jeffery, who is responsible for submitting such information.

Makathini said she had always been responsible for submitting Zuma’s information either to Parliament or cabinet, and had never “taken over from Jeffery” ­ contradicting Shaik’s testimony.

Makathini also said she dealt with Colin Isaacs, financial director of Shaik’s company, Nkobi Holdings, in collating the outstanding loan figures ­ and not with Shaik, as the businessman had said.

Before resuming court yesterday, defence counsel Francois van Zyl apologised to deputy state prosecutor Anton Steynberg for his client’s verbal abuse on Friday.

The case has adjourned until April 4, when the defence plans to bring further witnesses to the stand.

With acknowledgements to Nicola Jenvey and the Business Day.