SA: Thabo Mbeki flexes muscles

  1. Posted on Wednesday 14 January 2009 - 05:30
    Sam Banda Junior
    Image of Sam Banda Junior
    Sam Banda Junior, AfricaNews reporter in Blantyre, Malawi
    Relieved former South African president, Thabo Mbeki, criticized the High Court judge who ruled that he was politically interfering in the case involving his political rival Jacob Zuma. Mbeki said he feels vindicated by an appeal court recent ruling reviving corruption charges against Zuma.
    Mbeki.jpg
    In a statement to the media, Mbeki said the High Court judge made "unjustified findings against persons who were not called upon to defend themselves". The previous ruling led to the sudden resignation of Mbeki following pressure from his own African National Congress (ANC) leadership.

    Mbeki accused the judge of having failed to distinguish between allegations, facts and suspicions when he made the ruling last September, the BBC news website said. Mbeki - who was replaced as president by Zuma ally Kgalema Motlanthe - said he was pleased the appeals court had insisted that nobody's integrity should be attacked on the basis of untested allegations.

    Media reports say supporters of the former president are calling on the leadership of the ANC to apologize to him now that he has been cleared of any wrong doing.

    The bitter row over whether there was any political interference in the case has already led to several senior ANC officials leaving the party and setting up a rival group - Congress of the People (Cope).

    Zuma has said he would resign from public office if convicted. He could still be prosecuted if he became president.

    The 16 charges of corruption, money-laundering and racketeering stem from a controversial $5bn (£3.4bn) arms deal in 1999.In a separate case, Zuma was also charged with rape, but acquitted in 2006.

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