Publication: Business Day
Issued:
Date: 2006-12-07
Reporter: Sheila Camerer
Reporter:
Letters Correspondent
I
was very surprised at David Gleason’s blatant special
pleading on behalf of Deputy President Jacob Zuma in, It’s a perilous
course when political ends are reached by judicial means (June 6),
presumably at the behest of the “Zuma camp” which, as
Peter Bruce points out, includes Gleason’s friends the Kebbles.
Gleason
pins some of his argument to undermine the findings of Judge Hillary Squires on
his use of the phrase, “a generally corrupt relationship
existed between Zuma and Shaik”.
This phrase
was formulated by the National Prosecuting Authority and forms part of
the charge of corruption against Schabir Shaik.
Gleason conveniently
makes no reference to the judge’s findings on the second count of corruption,
that Shaik procured a bribe for Zuma with his knowledge and connivance, and to
his benefit. Squires found that the quid pro quo delivered by Zuma was to quash
inquiries by Parliament into the arms deal, which might have implicated his
benefactors.
Gleason claims it is a political decision, but leaves out
the fact that Squires’ meticulously detailed judgment is
being hailed as a seminal work on corruption by a host of legal
academics, including Prof Shadrack Gutto.
Gleason stoops to racism to attack Squires based on his white,
Rhodesian past. He leaves out the fact that the black Judge President of
KwaZulu-Natal, Vuka Tshabalala, chose Squires for the difficult job of handling
the Shaik case.
Sheila Camerer MP
Democratic Alliance spokeswoman
on justice
With acknowledgements to Sheila Camerer and Business Day.