Cape Judge President John Hlophe has been accused of attempting to influence the Constitutional Court’s decision over search and seizure raids carried out by the Scorpions on properties of Jacob Zuma, his lawyer and French arms manufacturing giant Thint.

A Concourt statement released on yesterday said a complaint has been referred to the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) following allegations that “Judge John Hlophe has approached some of the judges of the Constitutional Court in an improper attempt to influence this court’s pending judgment in one or more cases …”

The statement did not reveal which of the 11 Concourt judges were allegedly approached. The statement said: “We stress that there is no suggestion that any of the litigants in the cases referred to … was aware of or instigated this action.”

Cape Talk radio presenter John Maytham said on air that Hlophe had spoken to a reporter for the station. “He did deny it in the bluntest of terms and said he never approached anybody,” he said. The Cape Bar Council called for Hlophe to stand down “pending the determination of the complaint by the Judicial Services Commission”.

The council “considers [the matter] one of extreme emergency and extreme concern”. National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Tlali Tlali said he had not seen the statement and could therefore not comment.

Zuma’s lawyer Michael Hulley, a raid on whose office is the subject of one of the cases in question, said he has not seen the statement and that “I find the whole thing a bit bizarre”. JSC spokesman Marumo Moerane said he could not confirm receipt of the complaint as he had just arrived back in the country.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and The Witness.