CORRUPTION
Jacob Zuma should have been charged with Schabir Shaik, says NPA
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has admitted that it should have put former president Jacob Zuma on trial for corruption 15 years ago, but vehemently denies that then prosecutions head Bulelani Ngcuka did not charge Zuma with his former financial adviser Schabir Shaik because he feared Zuma would clear his name. Instead, Ngcuka claims, his decision not to charge Zuma with Shaik was driven by his deep concern about the lack of evidence directly implicating the then deputy president in corruption, as well as his "doubt" that Zuma was aware of the bribe allegedly solicited for him by Shaik from French arms company Thales. Further, according to lead Zuma prosecutor Billy Downer, Ngcuka felt that "a decision to prosecute when the NPA was not assured of a successful outcome would have a disruptive effect on the government and the broader South African society". Downer says that while he disagreed with Ngcuka’s decision on Shaik he believed that it was taken "in good faith and not...
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