Publication: Cape Argus Issued: Date: 2007-03-30 Reporter:

Bid for Bank Records Stuns Zuma Lawyer

 

Publication 

Cape Argus
Date

2007-03-30

Reporter

 Staff Reporters

Web Link

www.capeargus.co.za

 

A lawyer for Jacob Zuma has expressed amazement at the news that the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) applied for, and won, the right to extend its inquiry into the financial affairs of the former deputy president and French arms company Thint to banks and lawyers in Britain.

The news is the firmest indication yet that the State will pursue its fraud and corruption case against him.

But last night Zuma's lawyer, Michael Hulley, expressed astonishment. "I had to check the date … because I thought it was April Fool's Day," said Hulley, adding that the State's failure to inform Zuma about its request for international legal assistance was "absurd".

Referring to Zuma's legal battle to prevent the State from securing certain documentation related to its investigation from Mauritius, Hulley asked: "Why would the State not inform us about an application that it must know we would have an interest in and potentially oppose?"

Hulley said he planned to obtain a copy of the State's request "as a matter of urgency".

"We obviously need to examine what information is being requested and on what basis," he said.

Pretoria High Court Judge Ben du Plessis ruled yesterday that the appropriate British authorities be requested to provide legal assistance sought by the NDPP in its investigation. He determined that there were "reasonable grounds for believing that offences have been committed in the Republic of South Africa or that it is necessary to determine whether offences have been committed".

With acknowledgement to Cape Argus.