President Jacob Zuma will dispute the meaning of a SCA decision that he must authorise the release of the National Prosecuting Authority's “spy tapes”, the Democratic Alliance said on Friday.
“The DA considers the notice filed today by President Zuma’s lawyers with great consternation,” said DA Federal Executive chairman James Selfe in a statement.
“What this notice seems to imply is that President Zuma will now dispute the meaning of what the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ordered the NPA to produce.”
The SCA ruled that the NPA must produce a “reduced record of decision” relating to corruption charges against Zuma being dropped.
“What President Zuma is clearly trying to do is to delay handing over the transcript of the tapes until the Mangaung 1/8ANC national elective 3/8 conference is over,” Selfe said.
The NPA has said while the SCA had ordered it to furnish the reduced record to the DA, this was contingent on Zuma's lawyers not objecting on the grounds of confidentiality.
Zuma's lawyers did object, so the NPA could not hand over the record.
The tapes supposedly contain conversations that alluded to impropriety in the course of the investigation into corruption charges against Zuma in the arms deal case.
The conversations were given as the reason why the case against Zuma was tainted, resulting in charges against him and arms company Thint being dropped. - Sapa