|
D-day for Zuma |
| Publication |
Cape Argus |
| Date | 2009-04-05 |
|
Web Link |
South Africans were expected to learn on Monday if corruption charges
against Jacob Zuma would be withdrawn, which would leave him free to become
president without the prospect of impending prosecution.
The Sunday Times reported that Zuma had already been informed that the case
against him would be dropped in a decision that reportedly divided the National
Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
The weekly and other publications reported that senior prosecutor Billy Downer
and investigators tried in vain to convince colleagues to let a judge decide the
merits of the politically-fraught case - an opinion also voiced by axed NPA
chief Vusi Pikoli.
They are said to believe that, eight years into the investigation but with weeks
to go to the elections, acting NPA head Mokotedi Mpshe buckled under pressure
from the ANC to let the ruling party leader off the hook.
For the past fortnight, it had been reported that Zuma confronted the NPA with a
bombshell in the form of illicit tapes revealing that former president Thabo
Mbeki colluded with ex-Scorpions boss Leonard McCarthy to bury his political
rival.
But the City Press called into doubt the existence of the recordings and wrote
that a remark attributed to McCarthy, in which he told Mbeki "you will always be
my president" did not provide proof of political meddling.
The newspaper cited unnamed sources claiming it was merely a polite reply to a
downcast Mbeki joking that he was no longer anybody's president, after Zuma
wrested the ANC leadership from him Polokwane.
They said the Zuma camp had quoted it out of context in a "desperate" bid to
create a public perception that the case was history, and make Mpshe fear that
pressing ahead regardless could destabilise the country.
City Press questioned the existence of the tapes, as well as whether Mpshe had
in fact shown his hand in marathon closed-door deliberations in recent days.
Like others, it reported it was likely that he would ask the police to
investigate the allegations Zuma made in his representations to have the 16
charges against him scrapped.
The charges, linked in part to the country's multi-billion rand arms deal,
include one of racketeering, one of money-laundering, two of corruption and 12
of fraud.
Anticipating the move, the United Democratic Movement has warned Mpshe not to
pass the buck to a police force tainted by rumours that it had spied on Mbeki
and the Scorpions and forwarded information to Zuma.
"It is the same police who have been wrongfully investigating NPA staff and
displaying their partisan bias by leaking illegal surveillance to Mr Zuma ...
and cannot be expected now to seriously investigate this matter," UDM president
Bantu Holomisa said.
He insisted that Zuma has a case to answer, as did Democratic Alliance leader
Helen Zille who said her party would "consider taking legal action to have (the
charges) re-instated".
Zille said she would attend the NPA's press conference on Monday morning,
despite being told that only media were welcome. - Sapa