COPE: NPA’s Abrahams ‘doth protest too much’ in Zuma appeal announcement

Not “convincing”. His “body language very nervous and revealing”. His lead-up “long and vainglorious”. A “very hollow” attempt.

That’s the gist of the review given by the Congress of the People’s (COPE) Dennis Bloem of National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams’ announcement on Monday that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) would appeal a high court decision on charges against President Jacob Zuma.

The North Gauteng High Court had‚ in April ruled that the decision to drop the fraud and corruption charges in 2009 was irrational.

“In our view‚ as Shakespeare would have said‚ the Director of Public Prosecution doth protest too much‚” said Bloem.

“He would have been more convincing if he had not repeated the point that he was required to act without fear or favour. The more he stressed this point the more he revealed his reluctance to abide by it. His attempt was very hollow indeed.”

He said Cope “therefore brushes aside his long and vainglorious lead up to his decision to appeal the unanimous and carefully laid out judgment of the full bench on the Spy Tapes matter”.

“His reasoning‚ furthermore‚ was very flimsy and his body language very nervous and revealing.

“He cannot get away by stating that a judicial review of a decision of the NPA imperils the separation of power. For him to even construe the decision of the full bench as judicial interference is totally bizarre and ludicrous.”

“For Abrahams to suggest that the court was wrong to come to the decision it did and that furthermore such a decision attacked the separation of powers is totally absurd.

“We want to see him sustain that argument in court. His attempt to convince us was jus plain pathetic.”