This week’s Talkback question on the Mail & Guardian Online:
Has Agliotti totally damaged the state’s case against Jackie Selebi?
Read more
This week’s Talkback question on the Mail & Guardian Online:
Has Agliotti totally damaged the state’s case against Jackie Selebi?
Read more
Aglioti dealt the State’s case a massive blow by contradicting himself, admitting to lying and conceding to most, if not all, of the defense’s arguments. Some of his testimony is also said to contradict what the other witnesses have stated in their affidavits. Now there is a video that has been admitted, albeit preliminarily, as part of the evidence.
Granted, still more witnesses are yet to testify, but the inevitable question is, whether there was a case against Selebi in the first place.
I have no symphathy with the NPA and particular Gerrie Nel. it is clear that several senior Scorpions, including Nel wanted to get rid of Selebi in order to maintain the DSO. It seems that their plans have spectacularly backfired!
The question is what will the other witnessess bring to the table as the star witness is already discredited? Guys like Nassif, Stemmet and Rautenbach’s testimony will be irrellevant as they all corroborated what Agliotti have told the NPA!
Agliotti has damaged himself. He is testifying under the agreement that if her tells the truth he will get immunity from prosecution. It will be up to the judge to decide if he is telling the truth or not. So far he has not impressed.
Was Selebi charged before or after Agglioti entered into a plea bargain with the NPA? If it was before, what other evidence does the NPA have?
So the witness admitted he lies, big, big deal. We all lie, every day. All the state needs to prove is that Selebi accepted money not due to him, and the the donor was a crook. Easy to do both, end of story.
Is is an undisputable fact that Agliot is a crook and again not questionable that he unorderly presented his evidence, owing to many dealings he had over a period of time. But that doesnt immune the accuse from the accussations presented as this disorderly presntation of information does mean there was no dealings between the two. Only that the suppose witness lost logic and count to present the evidence as expected.
From the series of evidence presented, other sources can be used to support the witness already presented to support the weak memory of the witness, e.g. bank can backstate statements, with accurate dates of recipient and doner , as disorderly presented and the rest would be left with the law to take its cause.
Mr Selebi doesnt dispute the relationship he had with the witness over the same period, while he was aware of his dealings and at the same time holding the higher position of trust within the state, of which if he was weak for such munipulations, he would indeed undisputable collaborated to such acts in defeating the end of justice.
That is all we want to rule out as citizens from this case, to stop the repeat of such acts by the personel we happen to entrust with such positions at our taxes expence,end of a story. The rest should be left for history. But if we ignore the evidence regardless of presentation to exempt corruptees our war is far from being over.
Ifp has always been committed to fair justice, clean and good governance, all the time since its inception for the people of this country.
If humanity (ubuntu botho) cannot be associated with the leaders we happen to entrust with high positions, this country,s reputation is going down the drain intenally and international.