The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will meet on Monday to discuss the possibility of dropping graft charges against ANC leader Jacob Zuma, an official said.
”The National Prosecuting Authority is applying its mind … to make a decision as to whether in the light of this information that we have received, we need to discontinue with our prosecution,” said NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali.
”No decision has been taken in this regard,” he added.
Tlali told South African Broadcasting Corporation radio that the NPA and Zuma’s lawyers have had ”three transactions … where there was an exchange of information between the NPA and Mr Zuma’s lawyers”.
The NPA was considering this information as ”an ongoing process”, said Tlali.
He said there were ”outstanding issues” which required the NPA ”to conduct some investigation research or verification process”.
”It is only once that particular process is concluded that the NPA will make a decision. This meeting that is being convened for today [Monday] … it is for the NPA leadership to meet with the project team responsible for the investigation and prosecution of Mr Zuma to deal with the matter.
”We are not oblivious to the anxiety around this matter. It is one huge matter that has attracted a lot of public and media interest, both domestically and abroad,” said Tlali.
He would not say if a decision would be announced on Monday, but said the matter would be ”resolved as expeditiously as possible”.
Boost for ANC
A decision to drop the charges will almost certainly boost the ANC’s campaign for elections on April 22, where it faces its greatest electoral challenge since apartheid ended in 1994, but is still expected to emerge the winner.
The Congress of the People (Cope) is however expected to reduce the ANC’s domination in Parliament, in the face of growing public anger over corruption, poor services, poverty and crime.
A judge last month postponed Zuma’s trial to August 25 — several months after he is expected to become president.
Zuma has denied wrongdoing and says he is the victim of a political conspiracy in the corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering charges, laid against him days after he defeated former South African president Thabo Mbeki to the ANC leadership.
Meanwhile, Zuma said on Sunday that opposition parties claimed to respect the rule of law, but were quick to oppose it when someone exercised his constitutional right.
At a party rally at Olympia Park Stadium in Rustenburg, Zuma said opposition parties went to the NPA to make submissions to prosecute him instead of focusing on their election campaigns.
”For certain organs of the state to review such submissions is within the law, within the Constitution,” South African Broadcasting Corporation news reported him as saying.
”What do they [opposition parties] do? They even challenge the decisions before the decisions are taken and in the middle of elections. Instead of them being busy canvassing they are busy going to court to challenge decision that don’t exist.”
Zuma was referring to the Democratic Alliance (DA)’s submission to the NPA on Thursday.
The DA gave their reasons as to why they believed the NPA must prosecute Zuma.
In their submission the DA said the NPA had enough evidence, including 13 documents from Mauritius to prosecute Zuma. – Sapa