Publication: Saturday Independent Issued: Date: 2005-11-05 Reporter: Jeremy Gordin Reporter:

Zuma : No New Charges

 

Publication 

Saturday Independent
Date 2005-11-05

Reporter

Jeremy Gordin

Web Link

www.tios.co.za

 

So what was the point of the Scorpions' highly-publicised raids on Jacob Zuma? That was the question hanging in the air yesterday as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) finally produced its indictment against him.

Despite all of the huffing and puffing *1, including raids on Zuma's homes and attorneys' offices - which sparked one of the most bitter divides in the ANC in years - the NPA hasn't come up with any new charges.

The provisional indictment against the former deputy president, produced yesterday, is virtually a mirror image of one brought against Durban businessman Schabir Shaik.

Zuma is charged with:

Corruption - Allegedly benefiting from a "generally corrupt relationship" with Shaik

Corruption - Allegedly accepting the offer of a R500 000-a-year bribe, for two years, from the giant French arms and electronics company Thales.

Two local subsidiaries of Thales were also charged yesterday on two counts of corruption.

It had been widely speculated that the Scorpions would bring additional charges - ones not canvassed during the Shaik trial - against Zuma, after the raids. It was also believed that the Scorpions would bring charges related to tax evasion *3.

This has not happened.

Yesterday, after a 48-hour delay, and attempts to keep the indictment away from the media, the charges against Zuma were finally delivered to various defence teams.

Included with the indictment is a Summary of Essential Facts, as was the case with Shaik's indictment, and the witness list appears to be a mirror of Shaik's indictment.

Accused number one in the trial, set down for July 31 in the Durban High Court, is Jacob Zuma. He is charged with two counts of corruption.

Accused number two is Thint Holding Pty Ltd (Southern Africa) *2, formerly Thomson-CSF, a subsidiary of French owned Thales, and which holds 80% of Thint Pty Ltd.

Nkobi Holdings, Shaik's company, holds 20% of Thint and is accused number three. Shaik is on appeal, having been found guilty of two counts of corruption and one of fraud.

The main charge against Zuma is that he benefited in a corrupt manner to the tune of about R1.3 million from his relationship with Shaik and was therefore part of a generally corrupt relationship.

This is the same charge that was brought against Shaik, and of which he was found guilty and given 15 years.

Zuma will appear next Saturday in the Durban regional court for the case to be remanded to the High Court on July 31.

Shaik has returned from Hajj in Mecca and is at home in Durban.

With acknowledgements to Jeremy Gordin and Saturday Independent.


*1  As all English-speaking peoples should know, this is normal precursor for blowing the house down.

*2  While this article appears to have inside knowledge, there is the probability that the author has no\t actually seen the Indictment, because the correct name of the company is :
Thint Holding (Southern Africa) (Pty) Ltd

Company Number
1996/006180/07
Current Directors The latter will have to refocus his attention for many months next year (and maybe the year after) to proceedings in the Durban High Court instead of the core business of Financial intermediation, insurance, real estate and business services.

Some Recent Directors

Robert Jean Noel Soulie (represented Gestilac S.A.)

Schabir Shaik (represented Nkobi Holdings)
resigned at the pleasure of the High Court

Alain Peter Thetard (represented Thomson-CSF International)
fearful of instantaneous arrest by SAPS and Interpol
ID Number  : 480306 0000 00 0
Birth Date  : 1948-03-06

Bernard Charles Aymard Andre Paris de Bollardiere (represented Thomson-CSF International)
wants to keeps as great a distance from himself and Durban as possible

Thierry Marc Defarges (represented Thomson-CSF International)
also wants to keeps as great a distance from himself and Durban as possible

Thint Business
Financial intermediation, insurance, real estate and business services

read :

Financial Intermediation
@ R500 000 per year until ADS starts paying dividends.
Insurance
A deputy president in your pocket if things go bad after having a chief of acquisitions, with a conflict of interest and an ambitious brother, in your pocket.
Real Estate
Specialising in rural Zululand.
Business Services
A Service Provider Agreement crafted in Mauritius and tailored to circumnavigate the OECD Anti-Bribery Regulations.

*3  What about the little matter of the fake Loan Agreement, buried too deep in Parliament's record-keeping system to ever extract - this is often called fraud.