Scorpions mum on Zuma

2003-07-31 18:25

Cape Town - As the deadline looms for Deputy President Jacob Zuma to respond to a series of question from the Scorpions, there was no indication by late on Thursday on whether the elite investigating unit had actually received a reply.

Contacted by Sapa, Scorpions spokesperson Sipho Ngwema declined to comment on when the unit was expecting to get this from Zuma.

"We are not commenting on the deputy president," he said.

The Scorpions are investigating allegations the deputy president solicited a R500 000 bribe from a company involved in the country's multi-billion rand arms deal.

Zuma has reportedly been given until Thursday to reply to 35 questions, that also cover his relationship with businessman Schabir Shaik, who holds interests in firms linked to the arms deal.

The deputy president said on Wednesday night his legal team was drafting a response to a list of questions the Scorpions put to him earlier this month regarding the arms deal, but denied any deadline had been set for the responses.

"I shall respond at my earliest convenience," he said.

The deputy president is angry the questions were leaked to the media over the weekend, and has claimed constant leaks from the Scorpions were "designed to cast aspersions on my integrity".

Heath

He has rejected the allegations.

The National Director of Public Prosecutions, Bulelani Ngcuka, and Justice Minister Penuell Maduna have denied the questions were leaked by the unit. The Scorpions operates under Ngcuka.

Meanwhile, Judge Willem Heath, the state's former corruption buster, on Thursday questioned why the allegations against Zuma had not been probed sooner.

The investigation into the deputy president's financial affairs was either based on merit, or was about "getting to a politician", he told Sapa.

Asked which of these scenarios was more likely, he declined to speculate.

"If the claims are based on merit, I find it surprising that they were not investigated a few years ago, while the evidence was still fresh."

Time was obviously a problem in such investigations, as documents could be lost and a witness' memory fade.

However, Heath stressed the Scorpion's case would obviously be stronger than the information published by the media, as the media did not have access all the evidence.

- SAPA