Marais maintaining innocence

2003-10-16 13:43

Cape Town - Former Western Cape premier Peter Marais continued to protest his innocence in the Cape High Court on Thursday, despite Count Riccardo Agusta's plea of guilty to corruption.

In a plea bargain with the Scorpions, Agusta has agreed to pay a R1m fine, admitting that payments to Marais's New National Party totalling R400 000 were meant to smooth the way for planning approval of his Roodefontein golf estate development.

Marais said the news had taken him by surprise.

"I'll have to first consult my lawyers and ask them how this affects me, because I don't know," he said.

However, he maintained he had not been the beneficiary of "anything".

"That money went to the NP (National Party), the NP used the money. I in no way benefited by anything," he said.

Asked whether Augusta's plea would make his own case more difficult - he and former environment and development MEC David Malatsi are both facing corruption charges related to Roodefontein- he said he did not know.

"I haven't been asked to plead yet," he said. "I know nothing about what I'm supposed to have done wrong."

Has formed own political party

He said he had never signed the go-ahead for Roodefontein, and never discussed the matter with Agusta,

"So, I don't know how I am going to be implicated in this."

At the time the payments were made, in the latter half of 2002, Marais was the NNP's Western Cape leader. He has since broken away to form his own political party, the New Labour Party.

Malatsi, speaking from Mpumalanga where he was attending his mother's funeral, said he did not know anything about Agusta's plea bargain, and a call from Sapa was the first time he had heard of it.

"I don't know what he said , but don't think it will affect my case," he said.

- SAPA