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/ 17 November 2006

Venezuela: Where the rich get richer

Another agreeable lunch ended at the Caracas Country Club with a bottle of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, the chef’s famous flan and a round of espressos. From their table in the sun-kissed courtyard the three businessmen could hear only the fountain’s gurgle, the murmur of other diners, the clink of glasses and the swish of waiters.

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/ 16 November 2006

Govt considers pardons for ‘political prisoners’

The government is considering applications for the pardoning over 1 000 prisoners who claim their crimes were politically motivated, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Brigitte Mabandla said on Thursday. Briefing the media at Parliament, she referred to repeated appeals by the Inkatha Freedom Party and Pan Africanist Congress for the release of what they called ”political prisoners”.

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/ 16 November 2006

Mbeki congratulates DRC on elections

President Thabo Mbeki congratulated the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Independent Electoral Commission on Thursday for organising the first and second round of presidential elections in that country. Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said Mbeki was aware of the announcement of the provisional results, which make President Joseph Kabila the winner.

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/ 16 November 2006

Law Review Project slates asset seizures

The Law Review Project on Thursday expressed deep concerns about the constitutionality of core aspects of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act and the actions of the Asset Forfeiture Unit. ”The Prevention of Organised Crime Act and its implementation subject innocent South Africans … to arbitrary penalties …,” the law body said in a statement.