More charges likely for Zuma

Legal experts said yesterday that Zuma was likely to face charges relating to his obligation to declare extra income to Parliament and the SARS. ‘Additional charges will depend on whether the investigators suspect wrongdoing pertaining to his obligation to declare income,’ said Shadrack Gutto, a law professor at the University of SA. ‘If he did not declare extra income to Parliament he could be guilty of perjury. If he did not pay tax on the extra income he could have defrauded the taxman,’ he told the paper. A report in The Mercury says the trial is likely to be adjourned again to allow the Scorpions to continue probing the former Deputy President’s financial affairs. However, the defence is likely to raise the issue of his right to a speedy trial.
The Mercury report not available online Full Business Day report

Zuma won’t be short of support when he appears in court. As many as 1 000 supporters of the former Deputy President will be present, according to a report in The Witness. The ANC alliance in KwaZulu-Natal announced that national and provincial members from the ANC, SA Communist Party (SACP), Cosatu and SA National Civics Organisation will make their way to the court on the eve of Zuma\'s appearance to observe a night vigil. ANC provincial secretary Senzo Mchunu could not name the national leaders who would be present, but he said many provincial MECs and leaders will be there to support Zuma. Full report in The Witness

Meanwhile, Zuma yesterday launched his constitutional challenge to the search and seizure raids conducted on his homes and offices by the Scorpions in August, claiming they had compromised his privacy and dignity. Slamming the raids as ‘nothing more than desperate measures to prop up an unlawful decision to prosecute (me)’, he also warned that he intended taking further legal action regarding his right to a fair trial. A report in The Mercury says Zuma and his Durban-based attorney, Michael Hulley, yesterday filed their long-awaited application in the Durban High Court seeking an order declaring the search warrants unlawful and that all seized documents and computer files be returned to them.
The Mercury report not available online