Shaik: State wants fax admitted
2005-02-07 15:43
Durban - A much-mentioned encrypted fax continued to take centre stage in the Schabir Shaik fraud and corruption trial in the Durban High Court on Monday.
Prosecutor Billy Downer continued with his argument to admit as evidence seven documents, which the defence opposes.
"There is evidence that confirms every detail of the encrypted fax," Downer said.
The fax is the document which the State alleges records a bribe agreement of R500 000 per annum for deputy president Jacob Zuma.
The State says it was solicited by Shaik from the French arms company Thomson CSF in exchange for protection during investigations into irregularities alleged in South Africa's multi-billion rand arms deal.
"I'm trying to be as uncontroversial as possible," Downer said, as he described the sequence of events leading to the fax.
He said the uncontroversial facts were that Shaik had requested money from Thomson CSF and that the request had something to do with Zuma.
He said both the State and the defence also agreed that a meeting between Shaik, Zuma and Thomson boss Alain Thetard had taken place in Durban, and that Thetard was to convey the request for approval to Thomson CSF in France.
However, the State believes that the request was for bribe money from Thomson while the defence argues that Shaik wanted money for Zuma's education trust fund.
- SAPA