Jacob Zuma's lawyers will argue that the former president had no intention to commit a crime when he and his former financial adviser Schabir Shaik met with French arms manufacturer Thales, and that he was simply following ANC policy to support black business. Zuma's legal team is preparing a multi-pronged approach to keep him out of jail, including making another attempt to have the case struck off on the basis that he is unlikely to get a fair trial. Thirteen years after Shaik's conviction, Zuma will have to present himself in court to answer 16 charges of corruption, fraud, money-laundering and racketeering in relation to payments he received from his former financial adviser and Thales. Thales itself is facing two counts of corruption in connection with an alleged R500,000-a-year bribe to Zuma to protect the company in the arms-deal probe. Several known Zuma supporters were mute this week, choosing not to comment on the decision to prosecute, and referring journalists to a state...
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