/ 28 November 2006

NPA says Shaik intends appealing sentence

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on Tuesday confirmed that it had received a letter from Schabir Shaik’s legal team giving notice that he intends challenging his conviction in the Constitutional Court.

Spokesperson Makhosini Nkosi said: ”I can confirm that we have received a letter, but I can’t get into the details of the letter.”

Shaik’s lawyer Reeves Parsee said he was fielding ”50 calls a day from the press and I tell them the same thing. I am not going to comment.”

By close of business on Monday, the Constitutional Court had not received any notification of a legal challenge by Shaik, a court official said.

The official said no papers had been received, but should notification be filed on Tuesday it should be accompanied by a letter, explaining why it was late.

Shaik’s appeal was overturned on November 6 and he had 14 days from that date to file papers with the Constitutional Court if he intended to challenge the appeal there.

Shaik was jailed for 15 years on charges of corruption and fraud. – Sapa