South African President Thabo Mbeki told journalists on Tuesday that he would not interfere with the Scorpion case being investigated against his deputy Jacob Zuma for alleged involvement in arms deal corruption.
But the official opposition’s finance spokesperson Raenette Taljaard said in a statement — while the president was holding a press briefing on his recent cabinet meeting — that the deputy president should place himself on special leave “otherwise President Mbeki must request him to step down pending the outcome of the criminal investigation being conducted by the Scorpions”.
Mbeki noted that “even presidents were human” and it was not customary for him to receive briefings during investigations on these matters. If this happened, he would be forced like any human being to take a judgement call.
He said: “I really don’t know who is right or wrong; law enforcement agencies must do their work”.
Taljaard meanwhile said the president should desist from vilifying those who had sought to uncover the truth about the arms deal. She said the president should explain why he is not applying the ‘Maharaj private sector principle’ to Zuma and explain why his office sought to protect the deputy president as far back as September 1999.
Taljaard was referring to former transport minister Mac Maharaj who was suspended by First Rand’s board while an investigation took place into allegations of impropriety. Allegations are that he received gifts to the value of R500 000 from businessman Schabir Shaik, the subject of a probe into his involvement in the arms deal.
The Scorpions’s investigation focuses largely on Zuma’s finances and his relationship with Shaik. Court documents suggest Zuma might have solicited a bribe from French Arms Company, Thales (also known as Thomson).
The presidency said at the time that “at no stage was the deputy president requested to take a stake in any company owned by Schabir Shaik or those allegedly owned by businessmen Jay Naidoo or Cyril Ramaphosa”.
In addition she also noted that the presidency said at the time that it “rejects any insinuation that Deputy President Zuma is implicated in shady arms deals. The deputy president subscribes to the principles of transparency and openness in business deals”.
Taljaard said this meant that the President was aware of these serious allegations against the deputy president — a member of the cabinet since the 1999 election — before the cabinet, which he chairs in his capacity as president, took the final decisions on the procurement in September 1999 and before the formal contract signature in December 1999. – I-Net Bridge