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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, October 22, 2003

S. African president denies corruption in government

South African President Thabo Mbeki tried to assure the country's religious leaders on Tuesday that there was no corruption in the government, with particular reference to the multibillion rand arms deal and claims of bribery against his deputy Jacob Zuma.


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South African President Thabo Mbeki tried to assure the country's religious leaders on Tuesday that there was no corruption in the government, with particular reference to the multibillion rand arms deal and claims of bribery against his deputy Jacob Zuma.

Addressing national religious leaders in Pretoria, Mbeki rejected allegations of corruption involving the primary contract, in which the government was involved.

He assured the religious leaders that there is nothing wrong with the present government.

The president also used the meeting to dismiss "the impression created in the media that there is a big crisis."

On the arms deal, he said, "Little bits of information had been highlighted and magnified and taken advantage of by some of the people who lost out in the arms deal, and others who have axes to grind with some ministers."

Mbeki used the example of corruption allegations leveled against Justice Minister Penuell Maduna by his deputy director-general Mike Tshishonga.

He explained that four government ministers and he himself, then deputy president, were involved in decision-making on the primary arms deal contract.

It would have been impossible for any one person to have affected the outcome of the process or to have been influenced by a bribe, he said.

He also underlined that no evidence had been found to link Zuma to any wrongdoing.

The deputy president has been accused of accepting a 500,000 rand (about 71,000 US dollars) bribe from a bidder in the arms deal.

But public prosecutions head Bulelani Ngcuka has decided against taking Zuma to court, saying that even though a prima facie case existed there was not enough evidence to win a case.


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