/ 3 April 2009

Pikoli gives Motlanthe new deadline

Axed national prosecutions chief Vusi Pikoli’s legal team has ”reluctantly” given President Kgalema Motlanthe two more weeks to reply to charges that he was fired for political reasons, his attorney said on Friday.

Motlanthe missed the original deadline, which was set for Thursday, in Pikoli’s legal bid to be reinstated as head of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

”They’ve written to us to ask for an extension and we’ve had to agree reluctantly,” said Aslam Moosajee from Deneys Reitz, the instructing attorney in the case.

”We have set a new deadline of April 17 and we have asked them not to miss it.”

He said the president’s reason for needing more time to reply was that he had to consult with a range of relevant people, including some who were no longer in government — a possible reference to former president Thabo Mbeki.

Pikoli filed papers with the Pretoria High Court in February after Parliament ratified Motlanthe’s decision to dismiss him as national director of public prosecutions.

He claims he was suspended by Mbeki for ignoring political orders not to proceed with a corruption case against now suspended police commissioner Jackie Selebi, and finally dismissed by Motlanthe late last year to prevent the prosecution of African National Congress president Jacob Zuma.

Motlanthe cited concerns that the prosecutor was insensitive to national security issues.

But Pikoli, who took the decision to charge Zuma with corruption linked to the multibillion-rand arms deal, has argued that the ruling party sees the case as an impediment against its leader’s presidential ambitions and wants a more ”malleable” prosecutions chief in order to protect him.

Pikoli has warned the president that should he move to name a successor as head of the NPA, he would seek an urgent interdict to block the appointment.

This effectively leaves acting NPA head Mokotedi Mpshe in the hotseat while the prosecuting authority decides whether to press ahead with the charges against Zuma.

Moosajee said once Motlanthe has responded to the accusations, Pikoli’s team would decide whether it needed to file a responding affidavit or could immediately request a trial date.

He said Pikoli was still adamant that he wants his job back. — Sapa