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Judge John Hlophe said that he could not have had a mission to influence any Constitutional Court judge, as he would have to know his position on the Jacob Zuma matter to do so.
Western Cape Chief Justice John Hlophe. Image: www.judiciary.org.za
JOHANNESBURG – Western Cape Chief Justice John Hlophe dismissed allegations that he tried to improperly persuade Constitutional Court judges to indulge former President Jacob Zuma.
Hlophe has taken the stand at the Court of Judicial Conduct to investigate his conduct following a complaint filed by Supreme Court justices.
Judge John Hlophe said he could not have had a mission to influence any Constitutional Court judge, as he would have to know his position on the Jacob Zuma matter to do so.
In 2008, the supreme court had to decide on a matter involving Zuma and the Thint arms company for their role in the saga of the arms trade after the Supreme Court of Appeals ruled against them.
As the case progressed, Hlophe reached out to various court attorneys on different occasions to discuss various issues, and the issue came up in her engagements with Bess Nkabinde and Chris Jafta.
When the leader of the evidence, advocate Ivy Tenga, told Hlophe that he appeared under pressure during that time, he denied it.
“From where I’m sitting, it looks like you’re struggling. It seemed like you were on a mission, like something was pushing you at the time.”
To which Hlophe replied, “I’m sorry, but definitely not. There were so many other Constitutional Court judges that I met in that time period.”
Instead, Hlophe said that she was not aware of any rules at the time that prevented her from discussing cases with other judges, as it was common to do so elsewhere.
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