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/ 14 January 2008

Selebi’s lawyers wait for court date

Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi’s legal team were on Monday waiting for a date for a hearing for his application to stop the investigation against him, after last week’s attempt to have it heard urgently failed. ”The judge president must provide a date for a full bench,” said Selebi’s advocate Jaap Cilliers.

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/ 14 January 2008

NPA meets to consider Selebi options

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will meet this week to discuss how to proceed with their case against police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi, a spokesperson said. On Friday Selebi failed to secure an urgent application in the Pretoria High Court to stop the investigation against him.

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/ 13 January 2008

Mbeki appoints acting police commissioner

Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi has been granted an extended leave of absence, President Thabo Mbeki said on Saturday. Speaking at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, Mbeki said Selebi had requested the leave himself. This follows Friday’s revelations by the National Prosecuting Authority that it was ready to charge Selebi with corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering.

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/ 12 January 2008

Selebi quits as Interpol chief

Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi has quit as head of international crime-fighting body Interpol, the organisation said on Sunday. The news follows President Thabo Mbeki’s announcement on Saturday that Selebi, who faces allegations of corruption, fraud, racketeering and defeating the ends of justice, was going on extended leave of absence.

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/ 10 January 2008

Cops: NPA tried to prevent Nel prosecution

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) made a ”concerted effort” to undermine investigations into Scorpions boss Gerrie Nel and prevent his prosecution, Gauteng police said on Thursday. In a statement, Superintendent Lungelo Dlamini said prosecutors had refused to look at evidence presented to them in September, which implicated Nel in criminal activity.

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/ 10 January 2008

Selebi moves to block NPA

Police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi’s bid to stop the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) from proceeding with prosecution against him will be heard in the Pretoria High Court on Friday. Selebi has brought an urgent application seeking more information about the charges the NPA intends levelling against him.

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/ 9 January 2008

Nel arrest warrant ‘hazy’, says lawyer

Gerrie Nel, the head of the Directorate of Special Operations in Gauteng — also known as the Scorpions — who was released on bail on Wednesday following his dramatic arrest by police the night before, hopes to be back in his post on Thursday. Nel was arrested at his Pretoria home in front of his wife and children at about on Tuesday night.

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/ 9 January 2008

DA: Nel arrest a ‘witch-hunt’

The arrest of Gauteng Scorpions boss Gerrie Nel is a witch-hunt to protect police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi, said the Democratic Alliance on Wednesday. ”The axing of Vusi Pikoli and now Gerrie Nel has all the appearance of a witch-hunt to protect Selebi,” said DA spokesperson on Safety and Security Dianne Kohler Barnard.

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/ 9 January 2008

See you in court, arms firm tells NPA

Jacob Zuma’s two co-accused — the two South African subsidiaries of French arms manufacturer Thales International — are not making any plans to go to court before the August date set by the National Prosecuting Authority [NPA]. ”We will meet them [the NPA] on the 4th of August,” said lawyer Ajay Sooklal.

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/ 9 January 2008

Govt’s submission on Pikoli ‘too bare’

The government revised its submission to the Ginwala inquiry into the suspension of National Prosecuting Authority boss Vusi Pikoli after its first draft did not contain enough information, a media report said on Wednesday. The report said Pikoli’s advocate Wim Trengove had complained that the government’s submission was ”too bare”.

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/ 8 January 2008

Arms deal: ANC works to avoid ‘thumb-suck’

The African National Congress (ANC) will appoint an ad-hoc committee to draw up a ”detailed factual report” on the arms deal, the party announced in Johannesburg on Tuesday. ”We are not asking for the re-opening of the arms deal. We need to get a detailed formal report … to take informed decisions,” party secretary general Gwede Mantashe told journalists.

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/ 8 January 2008

ANC stands by Zuma despite charges

Top leaders of the African National Congress said on Tuesday they had ”grave misgivings” about the timing and handling of corruption charges against newly elected leader Jacob Zuma. Zuma has been charged with fraud, corruption, money laundering, racketeering and tax evasion.

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/ 7 January 2008

Minister: Don’t blame me over Selebi delay

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Brigitte Mabandla on Monday rejected as ”untrue” reports that she had delayed the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) decision on whether or not to charge police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi. The NPA ”does not have to get any permission from the minister”, said Mabandla’s spokesperson.

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/ 7 January 2008

ANC heavyweights get down to business

The African National Congress’s national executive committee will meet for the first time on Monday since being elected at the party’s national conference in Polokwane. Items on the agenda include the National Prosecuting Authority’s decision to charge new ANC president Jacob Zuma with fraud and corruption.

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/ 6 January 2008

ANC to discuss Zuma’s graft case

The corruption charge against Jacob Zuma, the new head of the African National Congress (ANC), is on the agenda of the first meeting since his election of the party’s national executive council on Monday, the party secretary general said on Sunday. ”The corruption charge against Zuma is on the agenda,” Gwede Mantashe, said.

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/ 4 January 2008

‘Not long’ before Selebi decision known

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Brigitte Mabandla had studied the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) decision on whether police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi ”had a case to answer”, her spokesperson said on Friday. Zolile Nqayi said the minister had studied the report last year.

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/ 4 January 2008

Zuma vows to fight graft charges

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) leader, Jacob Zuma, has denied allegations of corruption and vowed to fight charges laid against him in court, local media reported on Friday. ”I am innocent. I have not committed any crime,” Zuma was quoted as saying in Beeld.

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/ 2 January 2008

Still no word on whether Selebi has case to answer

The public were on Wednesday still being kept in the dark over the fate of South Africa’s police National Commissioner, Jackie Selebi. The National Prosecuting Authority said it had made a decision on whether or not Selebi ”had a case to answer”. However, the decision would not be made public until it was studied by the minister of justice and constitutional development.

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/ 30 December 2007

NPA: Mbeki not behind Zuma charges

South Africa’s prosecuting chief on Sunday denied claims that President Thabo Mbeki was behind the filing of a string of charges against Jacob Zuma, the new leader of the African National Congress. Mokeketedi Mpshe, acting National Prosecuting Authority head, told a newspaper that the decision to formally charge Zuma was made independently.

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/ 29 December 2007

Zuma supporters decry new charges

Supporters of Jacob Zuma, the new leader of the African National Congress, protested on Saturday that new corruption charges against him were part of a politically inspired vendetta. Zuma’s supporters have cried foul over the timing of the charges, a little over a week since he was elected leader of the ANC.

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/ 29 December 2007

Cosatu condemns Zuma indictment

An indictment served on African National Congress president Jacob Zuma was a continued violation of his human rights, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said on Saturday. The timing of the indictment had the ”hallmarks of vengeance, deep-seated anger and frustration by the National Prosecuting Authority and whoever else is behind this”.