Thales SA (TSA) will have to face racketeering charges, the Pietermaritzburg high court ruled on Friday when it dismissed the French arms company’s review application.
“The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the decision of the high court to dismiss the application of the French arms company Thales challenging racketeering charges against it. We look forward to the criminal hearing,” said NPA spokesperson Sipho Ngwema.
The criminal proceedings against former president Jacob Zuma and Thales has been set down for February 23.
In the judgment delivered on Friday, judge Alsa Bezuidenhout said it was clear Thales must face racketeering charges.
“In the final analysis, it is clear in my view that sufficient information was placed before the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) on which they could rationally conclude there was reasonable and probable cause to believes TSA had, directly or indirectly or with common purpose, participated in the enterprise run by Mr Schabir Shaik through a pattern of racketeering activity comprising the planned, ongoing, continuous or repeated participation or involvement in at least two schedule 1 offences,” said Bezuidenhout.
