Zondo: Commission did not give Zuma questions

Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has dismissed allegations that one of the agreements between the legal defense of former president Jacob Zuma and that of the commission was that the former president would be furnished with questions.

This is after a clash at the commission between the two legal teams on Friday, which resulted in an early adjournment. After a short recess, it was agreed that Zuma would return to the commission at a later stage, to provide more of his testimony.

Zondo in clarifying the agreement said: “It has come to the attention of the Chairperson of the Commission that, when reporting on the agreement brokered by the Chairperson between the Commission’s Legal Team and the former President’s Legal Team, certain journalists say that the agreement includes a requirement that the Commission’s Legal Team will furnish the former President’s with questions.”

He rectified the allegation by stating that “anyone who listens to the terms of the agreement” which he announced at the hearing, will not hear anything to the effect that the Commission’s Legal Team will be furnishing Zuma’s legal team with questions.

Read the full response below:

“What the terms of the agreement include is that the commission’s legal team will indicate to the former president’s counsel the areas of interest in a witness’ statement or affidavit on which the commission would like to have the former president’s version.

“This means that, if in a witness’ affidavit or statement various incidents or events are dealt with, the commission’s legal team will indicate which ones of those incidents or events or matters they would like the former president to provide his version on. The agreement does not say that the commission’s legal team must furnish the questions that they intend to ask the former president on that incident or event or matter.

“The agreement includes a requirement that, after the former President’s Counsel has been furnished by the commission’s legal team with an indication of which incidents or events or matters (areas of interest) they wish to have the former president’s version on, the former president will furnish the commission with a statement or statements or affidavits setting out his version in regards to those incidents or events or matters in regard to each affidavit.

“In terms of the agreement the commission’s legal team will furnish the former president’s counsel with the areas of interest in regard to each affidavit on which they would like the former president’s version within the next two weeks.

“The time frame within which the former president will furnish his statement or statements or affidavits will be agreed between the commission’s legal team and the former president’s counsel but, if they are unable to agree on the time frame, they will submit their disagreement to the chairperson who will hear both sides in Chambers and decide on the time frame within which the former president will have to submit his statement or statements or affidavits.”

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