Ramaphosa bails out

2003-08-17 21:22

Johannesburg - Top African National Congress (ANC) member Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday he had decided not to play any role in the saga between the Scorpions, Deputy President Jacob Zuma, his financial adviser Schabir Shaik and Mac Maharaj, the former transport minister.

Ramaphosa said in a statement released on Sunday night that he had a discussion with Scorpion boss Bulelani Ngcuka on Sunday and "I have decided not to play any role in this matter as I believe that the mechanisms, legal and otherwise, to resolve the various issues are in place".

He confirmed that an approach was made to him to play a role in helping to resolve the matter.

"When I was initially approached I indicated that I needed to understand what the issues are and the terms of the process before agreeing to get involved.

"I also indicated that I needed to consult with the ANC," Ramaphosa said.

Plea bargain

The Sunday Times reported that Ramaphosa was expected to meet Scorpions boss Bulelani Ngcuka on Sunday to open discussions on a possible plea bargain in the case.

Maharaj resigned from FirstRand last week after allegations that he received payments and gifts from Shaik and Nkobi Holdings. Maharaj was a director at FirstRand.

Shaik was grilled for six hours by the Scorpions about two weeks ago on a variety of issues, including investigations into Zuma.

Investigators are attempting to ascertain whether Zuma tried to solicit R500 000 from Thomson CSF/Thales, a company that benefited from SA's multibillion rands arms deal.

Zuma said he rejected the allegation that he solicited a bribe of R500 000 a year to protect the French company from being probed as part of an ongoing investigation the arms deal.

- SAPA