Johannesburg - Former president Jacob Zuma’s son Duduzane Zuma is set to temporarily get off the hook from the corruption allegations levelled against him at the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Joburg today after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) took the decision to put the matter in abeyance.
Today, Zuma is expected to return to the dock over the charges which relate to an alleged attempt by the Guptas to bribe former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas.
A letter from the NPA to Zuma’s lawyers - seen by Independent Media - has indicated that the prosecuting authority was planning to provisionally withdraw the charges to make way for Jonas’s testimony, which has yet to be concluded at the Commission of Inquiry into allegations of State Capture.
“Kindly be advised that the State intends to withdraw the charges against Mr D Zuma on January24, 2019. Due to the fact that Mr Jonas’s evidence before the State of Capture Commission led by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has not been finalised, it is in the interests of justice not to proceed with the criminal case at this stage,” the letter said.
Jonas alleges that Zuma organised and attended the meeting in which the eldest Gupta brother, Ajay, offered him the post of finance minister, before then finance minister Nhlanhla Nene was fired in December 2015.
Jonas said he was promised R600million to take over after Nhlanhla and work with the Guptas and protect their business interests.
He alleged that Ajay had also offered him R600000 in cash on the spot, which he said he “rejected out of hand”.
While Jonas has already presented the allegations as evidence at the commission, Justice Zondo indicated that he may take the stand again to continue with his testimony in future.
Yesterday, both the NPA and Zuma’s lawyers refused to comment on the matter.