By Odette Ismail
6 November 2006
A judgement in Bloemfontein read that businessman Schabir Shaik’s appeal against his fraud and corruption case has been rejected.
Supreme Court of Appeal president Craig Howie said that there were no grounds to change Shaik’s prison sentence of 15 years, Independent Online reports.
Shaik was convicted at the Durban High Court in July last year. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison on both corruption counts, and an addition of three years for fraud.
ID president Patricia de Lille says in statement that the rejection of Shaik’s appeal shows that crime doesn’t pay despite your position or how politically connected you are.
De Lille says ‘The De Lille Dossier has brought down the second powerful crook in the Arms Deal saga. This judgement proves that our judiciary is independent and cannot be influenced by politics.’
The court has confirmed the involvement between Shaik and Deputy President Jacob Zuma as being corrupt. They said proof surfaced beyond reasonable doubt that Shaik settled bribes with an arms supplier for Zuma.
This means that Shaik will go to prison soon to serve 15 years depending on an appeal to the Constitutional Court.
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