Shaik, Minister in bribery probe

The payments, apparently made between 1996 and 2000, were allegedly connected to the awarding of tenders during Maharaj\'s tenure, says a report on the IoL site. During this period Maharaj\'s department awarded two tenders, worth billions, from which Shaik\'s companies benefited. The contracts were for the issuing of credit-card-format driver\'s licences and for parts of the N3 toll road between Johannesburg and Durban. Full report on Mail & Guardian Online site

The DA says Maharaj must co-operate with the investigation. The party was calling on Maharaj to produce any evidence he had in order to refute the allegations against him, said DA transport spokesperson Stuart Farrow. The tender for the drivers licences was irregularly extended last year, said Farrow. The Scorpions investigation should also establish what benefit, if any, taxpayers got from the deal. If the allegations are correct, then only Mr Maharaj and Mr Shaik benefited from the deal,’ he said, according to a report on the IoL site. The credit card drivers\' licence, however, contains a finger print imprint which is too small to be registered on bar code machines; the card also does not show the first name of the driver but rather just the first initial.’ The DA has also called for a full performance audit of the driving licence credit card system and would raise this in Parliament, says The Star. Full report in The Star Full report on IoL site