The Presidency on Monday said the “proceedings are an abuse of process by a political party in order to advance a political agenda”.
The highest office in the land also seemed confident that the decision by the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) to drop charges against President Jacob Zuma “will withstand any scrutiny”.
The Democratic Alliance appeared equally assured of its success in its application to have the decision to drop 783 fraud‚ corruption and racketeering charges against set aside.
“The court’s willingness to engage this case to date bodes well for the discharge of justice‚” said the party’s James Selfe a day before the North Gauteng High Court was to hear the case on Tuesday.
“We are optimistic that the court will receive our arguments favourably and come to a determination to set aside the decision to drop the charges against President Zuma.”
He said the party the decision – made by then acting National Director of Public Prosecutions‚ advocate Mokotedi Mpshe – “was born out of irrational political considerations not based in law or due process”.
“Mpshe has now desperately attempted to distance himself from this decision…‚” Selfe said‚ adding that Mpshe’s confirms — in his supplementary confirmatory affidavit — that “the decision to prosecute Zuma had been taken‚ and the prosecution would be instituted as soon as possible because there was no legitimate reason to delay it- ie‚ no reason related to the prosecution itself”.
Selfe said that “in the absence of any legitimate factual or legal reasons‚ the DA is led to believe that these charges were dropped to serve a political agenda”.
He said that Zuma could “argue that he was being prosecuted for malicious political reasons” and a “competent court decide on the merits of such representations”.
“It was not for the NPA‚ acting at the president’s behest‚ to simply drop the charges without legal basis.
The Presidency‚ however‚ appeared said: “The court application has been relentlessly pursued over a period of some seven years and seeks to review and set aside the NDPP’s decision.
“The president has always contended that the court proceedings are an abuse of process by a political party in order to advance a political agenda.
“Through his submissions to the high court‚ President Zuma will maintain that the decision of the NDPP was rationally derived at‚ as evidenced by the reasons advanced and accordingly‚ will withstand any scrutiny.”
Presidency: NDPP decision to drop charges will ‘withstand any scrutiny’
The highest office in the land also seemed confident that the decision by the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) to drop charges against President Jacob Zuma “will withstand any scrutiny”.
The Democratic Alliance appeared equally assured of its success in its application to have the decision to drop 783 fraud‚ corruption and racketeering charges against set aside.
“The court’s willingness to engage this case to date bodes well for the discharge of justice‚” said the party’s James Selfe a day before the North Gauteng High Court was to hear the case on Tuesday.
“We are optimistic that the court will receive our arguments favourably and come to a determination to set aside the decision to drop the charges against President Zuma.”
He said the party the decision – made by then acting National Director of Public Prosecutions‚ advocate Mokotedi Mpshe – “was born out of irrational political considerations not based in law or due process”.
“Mpshe has now desperately attempted to distance himself from this decision…‚” Selfe said‚ adding that Mpshe’s confirms — in his supplementary confirmatory affidavit — that “the decision to prosecute Zuma had been taken‚ and the prosecution would be instituted as soon as possible because there was no legitimate reason to delay it- ie‚ no reason related to the prosecution itself”.
Selfe said that “in the absence of any legitimate factual or legal reasons‚ the DA is led to believe that these charges were dropped to serve a political agenda”.
He said that Zuma could “argue that he was being prosecuted for malicious political reasons” and a “competent court decide on the merits of such representations”.
“It was not for the NPA‚ acting at the president’s behest‚ to simply drop the charges without legal basis.
The Presidency‚ however‚ appeared said: “The court application has been relentlessly pursued over a period of some seven years and seeks to review and set aside the NDPP’s decision.
“The president has always contended that the court proceedings are an abuse of process by a political party in order to advance a political agenda.
“Through his submissions to the high court‚ President Zuma will maintain that the decision of the NDPP was rationally derived at‚ as evidenced by the reasons advanced and accordingly‚ will withstand any scrutiny.”
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