Publication: Cape Argus Issued: Date: 2009-03-30 Reporter: Ella Smook

NPA and Zuma's Team Locked in Talks

 

Publication 

Cape Argus
Date

2009-03-30
Reporter Ella Smook

Web Link

www.capeargus.co.za



A critical meeting to decide the future of the prosecution of ANC president Jacob Zuma kicked off at 7.30am today, with the leadership of the National Prosecuting Authority and Zuma's legal team locked in talks *1.

While a decision is expected soon on whether graft charges against the man expected to be-come South Africa's next president will be dropped, the NPA remained adamant today that a final call had not yet been made.

Zuma's legal team recently submitted new evidence in representations to the NPA, which ostensibly pointed to blatant executive interference in the NPA's work *2, which would have compromised the State's case.

This new evidence allegedly includes taped conversations between former Scorpions boss Leonard McCarthy and former president Thabo Mbeki, in which McCarthy pledged his loyalty to Mbeki.

While the new evidence could lead to the NPA deciding not to prosecute Zuma, opposition parties have said that if there is evidence of wrongdoing on the part of others, they too should be charged rather than the charges against Zuma being scrapped.

"We are not oblivious to the anxiety around this matter. It is one huge matter that has attracted a lot of public and media interest, both domestically and abroad," NPA spokesman Tlali Tlali said today.

"The National Prosecuting Authority is applying its mind… to make a decision as to whether, in the light of this information that we have received, we need to discontinue our prosecution," Tlali said, adding that "no decision has been taken in this regard".

He told SABC radio that the NPA and Zuma's lawyers had had "three transactions… where there was an exchange of information between the NPA and Zuma's lawyers".

The NPA was considering this information as "an ongoing process", said Tlali.

He said there were outstanding issues which required the NPA "to conduct some investigation research or verification process".

"It is only once that particular process is concluded that the NPA will make a decision."

With acknowledgements to Ella Smook, Sapa and Cape Argus.


*1       Doubtful. I think "Zuma's prosecuting team" is meant.


*2      This is ever so much crap in respect of the relevance.

Mbeki and Maduna interfered - that they did.

But that was way back in 2003 when the idea was to save two piggy's bacon.

So maybe Mbeki and Ngcuka had cosy, cuddly discussions later.

So what? Ngcuka was by then no longer a member of the NDPP.

Vusi Pikoli was the first NDPP to charge Zuma.

It has not been proven and neither are there currently indications that Mbeki got Pikoli to charge Zuma - that allegation was made in the Nicholson debunkle, but this has been stoutly and effectively rebutted.


*3      Everyone seems to forget that Mpshe took the current decision to prosecute Zuma and after the previous two debacles one would expect this to have been a strictly independent decision.

So the only valid logic would be that if Mpshe decides to withdraw charges then it is because his previous decision is tainted.


I haven't read the NPA Act, but with so much merde about one might easily conclude that the NDPP's decision should be open to review.