Publication: Sapa Issued: Pretoria Date: 2006-07-04 Reporter: Sapa Reporter: Reporter:

Thint Warrant Application Dismissed

 

Publication 

Sapa
BC-COURT-2ND-LD-THINT

Issued

Pretoria
Date 2006-07-04

Reporter

 Sapa

 

French arms dealer Thint on Tuesday lost its application to have a search warrant declared invalid and documents seized from its offices by the Scorpions in August last year returned.

Judge Ben du Plessis dismissed Thint's application with costs, but ordered the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO) and National Director of Public Prosecutions to lodge all copies of a detailed plan of Thint director Pierre Moynot's home with the Registrar of the court.

Items seized from the home of Moynot and his wife, Bijou, have already been returned. This after the DSO conceded that the warrant, issued for their home, was invalid on technical grounds.

Moynot wanted the plan of his home, drawn up by investigators, returned for personal security reasons.

The search-and-seizure warrants, granted by Judge President Bernard Ngoepe, formed part of the Scorpions' investigation into allegations of corruption, money laundering, fraud and related offences. The investigation also implicated, amongst others, former deputy president Jacob Zuma, his financial advisor Schabir Shaik and the French-based Thomson/Thales group, of which Thint is a member.

Charges were initially withdrawn against Thint when the trial of Shaik and 11 corporations commenced in October 2004. A decision was however made to prosecute Thint because the DSO was of the opinion that evidence during Shaik's trial implicated Thint in alleged corrupt payments to Zuma.

Zuma's and Thint's fraud and corruption trial has been scheduled to start on July 31. Shaik is presently appealing his conviction on two corruption charges and one of fraud.

With acknowledgement to Sapa.