/ 10 April 2009

Zuma lawyer says DA claims ‘ill-informed, ludicrous’

ANC president Jacob Zuma’s attorney Michael Hulley has dismissed as ”ill-informed and ludicrous” the Democratic Alliance’s move to lay a charge against him, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday.

The DA has laid a criminal charge against Hulley over the controversial taped conversations that showed alleged political interference in the National Prosecuting Authority when it dealt with the Zuma case.

The party accused him of being in possession of illegally acquired tapes.

Hulley said the DA’s accusations were badly informed as they are based on a newspaper report.

He said he was under no obligation to answer to the DA or any political party about his professional relationship with Zuma.

On Monday, acting NPA head Mokotedi Mpshe cited extracts from transcripts of phone recordings as proof that then Scorpions boss Leonard McCarthy took outside instructions on the timing of
recharging Zuma in 2007.

Also implicated was former NPA chief Bulelani Ngcuka.

The charges against Zuma were dropped after that revelation.

The DA’s Dianne Kohler-Barnard on Thursday said neither Hulley nor his client were state officials and Hulley appeared to have obtained the tapes specifically for the purpose of assisting Zuma.

She said she had laid a charge of possession of stolen property against Hulley.

Kohler-Barnard said she had laid charges in terms of the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication Related Information Act 70 of 2002.

‘In terms of Sections 2 and 49(1) of the Act, no person may intercept, or authorise or procure any other person to intercept any communication except in certain limited circumstances,” she said. – Sapa