National Assembly Speaker Frene Ginwala confirmed on Friday that she had referred information about South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma from the national prosecuting authority to Parliament’s ethics committee.
She referred the information received from the National Directorate of Public Prosecutions to the joint committee on ethics and members’ interests after asking Parliament’s law advisers to identify information that may be sub judice.
Although her statement on the matter did not spell it out, the Scorpions investigation unit opted not to prosecute Zuma for alleged corruption involving South Africa’s multibillion-rand arms deal.
But the beleaguered deputy president stands accused of failing to declare loans received from Shabir Shaik, who is involved in the arms deal and is his personal financial adviser, and Durban businessman Vivian Reddy in the register
of members’ interests.
The ethics committee will now investigate the matter and provide a report to Parliament within seven days of completing its investigation.
If found guilty, Zuma would be publicly reprimanded or — as with Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota who also failed to disclose business interests — be fined part of his monthly salary.
Ginwala’s media officer Luphumzo Kebeni attached to Ginwala’s statement the code of conduct of members of Parliament, noting that a member breached the code if he or she contrived or failed to comply with a provision of the code when disclosing registerable interests, or wilfully providing the registrar with incorrect or misleading details.
A hearing of the committee must be held if the facts were in dispute. — I-Net Bridge