Zuma, Thint legal teams to meet NPA on Thursday

Zuma's lawyers and Thint legal representatives will be meeting the NPA on Thursday

Legal teams for ANC President Jacob Zuma and his co-accused are to meet with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and KwaZulu-Natal Judge President Vuka Tshabalala on Thursday to finalise a court date.

Zuma and the two Thint companies, which are the South African subsidiaries of the French arms manufacturing Thales Group, face a total of 18 charges, including racketeering, corruption, fraud and money laundering.

Tshabalala says the high profile case should go on for a long time. He says he needs to finalise a trial date with all parties in a bid to finalise the roster for high court judges in the province.

Scorpions to continue investigations
Meanwhile, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula has given the assurance that all cases under investigation by the Directorate of Special Operations will be finalised. High profile cases currently under investigation by the Scorpions include those relating to Zuma, Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi, and J Arthur Brown of Fidentia.

Nqakula says the Scorpions will continue their investigations while the process of establishing the new Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation is underway. He has rejected suggestions the Scorpions' closure and the loss of skills from the unit will weaken the fight against organised crime.