|
DA wins Zuma spy tape bid |
| Publication |
News24 |
| Date | 2013-08-16 |
| Reporter |
Sapa |
| Web Link | www.news24.com |
Pretoria - The North Gauteng High Court on
Friday ordered acting national director of
public prosecutions
Nomgcobo Jiba to lodge a copy of the
Zuma spy tapes with the registrar of the
court within the next five days.
The ruling by Judge Rami Mathopo followed an
application by the Democratic Alliance.
The party wanted to overturn a 2009 decision
by the then acting National Prosecuting
Authority (NPA) head
Mokotedi Mpshe to withdraw fraud and
corruption charges against President
Jacob Zuma.
Confidential representations
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in
March last year ordered the NPA to lodge the
record with the registrar of the high court,
but the NPA refused to do so on the basis
that it contained confidential
representations by Zuma.
Mathopo ordered Jiba to comply with the SCA
order and ruled that the record to be lodged
include a copy and transcript of the
electronic recordings Mpshe referred to in
his announcement to withdraw charges against
Zuma.
The record must also include any internal
memoranda, reports or minutes of meetings
dealing with the contents of the recordings
or the transcript itself, insofar as these
documents did not breach the confidentiality
of Zuma's written or oral representations.
With regard to the memoranda, minutes, and
notes of meetings, Jiba was ordered to
deliver copies to the DA's Cape Town
attorney within the next five days. Those
parts of the document she considered
confidential had to be marked.
The DA's attorney was ordered not to
disclose to any other party, including to
the DA, any part of the document which Jiba
said was confidential.
Should the DA dispute any claim to
confidentiality and should the parties be
unable to resolve the dispute, the DA could
apply to a judge for a ruling on the issue.
The NPA and Zuma were ordered to pay the
costs of the DA's application.
- SAPA
With acknowledgement to Sapa and News24.
We have victory.