Businessman and ANC stalwart Sipho Pityana on Wednesday referred to President Jacob Zuma "my dear Number 783". This is the number of corruption charges he faced‚ which were dropped in 2009. In April this year‚ state prosecutors said they needed time to study the High Court’s ruling after it ordered that the decision to drop the charges should be reviewed. The court held that the decision of April 1 2009‚ taken by the acting national director of public prosecutions at the time, Mokotedi Mpshe, to drop 783 arms deal-related charges against Zuma‚ was irrational and should be reviewed and set aside. Mpshe dropped the charges because he believed Scorpions boss Leonard McCarthy had manipulated the timing of when to serve the indictment against Zuma. The NPA’s decision to drop corruption charges against Zuma was based largely on what have become known as the "spy tapes". In these conversations‚ former NPA boss Bulelani Ngcuka and McCarthy discussed whether then president Thabo Mbeki’s pros...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.