NPA wins order for Mauritius documents

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is allowed to retrieve documents from Mauritius that relate to Jacob Zuma’s alleged role in the multibillion-rand arms deal.

Judge Jan Hugo of the Durban High Court gave his ruling on Tuesday granting the NPA permission to continue to proceed with a letter of authorisation which had been granted earlier in the year by Philip Levensohn.

Hugo ordered that the documents be kept under lock and key either at the Registrar of the High Court or by the South African High Commission to Mauritius until the outcome of an appeal that is expected to be heard in the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein.

The documents include the diary of former Thint chief executive Alain Thetard. These documents allegedly prove that there were meetings held where Zuma, convicted Durban businessman Schabir Shaik and Thetard met to discuss a R500 000-a-year bribe.

Last Tuesday Hugo asked Zuma’s advocate, Kemp J Kemp: “If a person professes his innocence, then why go to all these lengths to prevent the evidence being obtained?”

Kemp replied: “We think it is important.

This is not like a fight between two champ fighters. This is more like Stalingrad. It’s burning house to burning house.”

Kemp then told Hugo: “If I can keep it [the evidence] out, it is my duty to keep it out. If it advances the accused’s battle plan why should we give that up?”—Sapa