Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad has said his office had reminded him that he had met with an official from French arms company Thomson CSF.

"My office has informed me that such a meeting - which was with Mr Alain Thetard - did occur. This was on February 23 1999, when I was deputy minister. I have no recollection of details of the discussion, though it would be normal for contacts with persons across a wide spectrum of society routinely to take place."

Pahad was deputy minister in the Presidency until June 1999, when he became minister.

Thomson is now called Thales and its South African subsidiary is Thint, which Thetard represented.

At the weekend, the Sunday Times reported that both President Thabo Mbeki and Pahad had met officials from Thint.

Mbeki has told parliament he could not recall any meeting with Thint. Last month his office said it had no recollection of a meeting but that, if it did take place, it must have been "in a situation with others or of such import that it held no meaningful significance".

The Sunday Times reported that the meeting did take place and that it allegedly related to the awarding of the corvette combat suite contract.

It said prosecutors had questioned ambassador to France Barbara Masakela, who reportedly set up that 1998 meeting.

It also reported that Thetard's diary had an entry on February 23 1999, detailing a meeting with "Essop Pahad (Union Buildings) at 11.30am, suggesting a follow-up meeting to the one held in France".

In the corruption trial of Schabir Shaik, the former financial adviser to Jacob Zuma, Judge Hilary Squires found that Shaik and Thetard agreed that Thomson would pay Zuma R500 000 a year "to secure benefits".

Thint is now facing corruption charges with Zuma over the alleged bribe.

Scorpions boss Leonard McCarthy has slammed as "scurrilous and utterly unfounded" the arguments by Zuma and Thint aimed at having the cases against them struck off the roll.

Furthermore, he said the claims by the former deputy president and the French arms giant were based on a "self-serving distortion of the facts".

The arguments - that there have been unacceptable delays in prosecuting the case and that there is a conspiracy against Zuma - were simply not valid, said McCarthy.

This article was originally published on page 2 of The Star on August 17, 2006

With acknowledgement to Jeremy Gordin, Sapa and Independent On Line.