Zuma's son tried to strike immunity deal – claim

Former President Jacob Zuma’s son Duduzane, who is reportedly hiding out in Dubai, tried to strike a deal with law enforcement agencies before going on the run. According to a Sunday Times report quoting officials with intimate knowledge of the case the ‘unofficial’ negotiations involving the 35-year-old delayed the Hawks’ swoop on the Gupta family on Wednesday – which may have helped the Gupta brothers evade arrest in the Estina fairy farm project case. The report quotes a Hawks official as saying: ‘Duduzane is trying through unofficial means for section 204.’ The section allows someone guilty of a crime to escape prosecution in return for testimony against others. Meanwhile, the Sunday Times says it understands that police are looking for two Chinese nationals who allegedly helped the Gupta family siphon millions from foreign bank accounts, including in Hong Kong. A News24 report notes Police Minister Fikile Mbabula confirmed ‘Ajay Gupta is one of the five being sought’. Mbalula said of the 13 suspects in the Estina farm project, eight had been arrested in the Free State and Johannesburg. He said police were working with Interpol and believed other suspects were in China, Dubai and India. Mbalula said he could not confirm if a warrant of arrest was out for Duduzane Zuma.

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