Publication: Business Day Issued: Date: 2008-03-07 Reporter: Ernest Mabuza

Zuma to Have His Say over Papers 

 

Publication 

Business Day
Date 2008-03-07
Reporter Ernest Mabuza
Web Link www.bday.co.za

 

African National Congress president Jacob Zuma will get a chance to intervene in the arms deal case proceedings now under way in Mauritius.

Thales International Africa is opposing transmission by the Mauritian attorney-general's office of a set of documents to SA's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

Zuma's attorney said Zuma wanted to intervene in the case in the Mauritius Supreme Court today, as there were certain facts to which he felt the court should give its proper consideration.

Zuma wanted to bring to the court's attention that the investigation had been targeted against him *1. He believed he was being targeted by forces in his party and the government because of his political beliefs, in a bid to prevent him from becoming president of the country.

Last month, Zuma brought an application to the Mauritian High Court to join the proceedings of Thales, a subsidiary of the French company Thint, without informing the attorney-general. Judge Rehana Mungly-Gulbul ruled the attorney-general had to be notified of Zuma's application.

Zuma's attorney, Michael Hulley, said today's hearing was for the attorney-general to indicate whether he would oppose Zuma's application for intervention.

Thales is objecting to transmission to the NPA of the originals of 13 documents seized from its Mauritian offices by the NPA. The originals are held by the Independent Commission Against Corruption in Mauritius.

The copies were obtained after an order by the Mauritian high court authorising the search and seizure of documents from former French arms official Alain Thetard and from Thales.

The documents include a diary of Thetard, in which an alleged entry indicated he had a meeting with Zuma and Zuma's former financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, in Mauritius in 2000, where a R500000 bribe for Zuma was discussed.

Shaik is serving a 15-year jail term for corruption and fraud, with one of the corruption counts relating to that meeting.

Although the NPA has the copies of the diary entry, Zuma and Thint had hinted they would oppose the admission of the copies. The NPA therefore requires the originals to counter that threat.

The issue of the release of the document will also be part of an appeal by Zuma and Thint in their Constitutional Court application next week.

Thint and Zuma are opposing the issuing of a letter of request to Mauritian officials by the Durban High Court requesting transmission of the documents to the NPA.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and Business Day.


*1       This is a tautology.

Criminal investigations target criminals.

Zuma is a criminal *2.


*2      Although still to be found guilty be a court, the High Court and Supreme Court of Appeal have found his conduct to be corrupt.

Corruption is criminal, Zuma is corrupt, he is a criminal.


This business of being innocent until proven guilty is nonsense.

One is not guilty until proven guilty - but this is something different.