Publication: Independent Online Issued: Date: 2006-08-26 Reporter: Linda Daniels Reporter:

Mbeki likens Yengeni to Martha Stewart

 

Publication 

Independent Online

Date

2006-08-26

Reporter

Linda Daniels

Web Link

www.iol.co.za

 

President Thabo Mbeki has likened the incarceration of Tony Yengeni to that of American businesswoman Martha Stewart, who went to jail for lying about a stock sale.

On Sunday Mbeki said Yengeni had misled parliament by saying the vehicle he received had been damaged and was sold to him, instead of that he had received a discount on the sale.

"Somebody was saying that it's similar to what happened to the American businesswoman Martha Stewart.

"But instead of admitting it, she told a lie. And what resulted in her going to jail was not so much insider trading, as that of misrepresentation *1.

With acknowledgement to Linda Daniels and Independent On Line. 


*1       Wrong : what caused Yengeni in going to jail was a plea bargain whereby he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of fraud and received a lesser sentence whereas he has actually been charged with corruption, fraud, perjury and forgery.

He pleaded guilty to the charge of fraud, with his guilty plea saying he :
"misled parliament about the benefits he received in connection with the multimillion-rand arms deal".
Spin typical of some of those among us.