Ajay Gupta’s lawyer has confirmed that he will apply for the right to cross-examine former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas and ex-ANC MP Vytjie Mentor at the state capture inquiry – a move that will put him under pressure to take the stand.
Former president Jacob Zuma’s lawyers have told Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo that he was still deciding whether to make such an application‚ but intends to communicate his decision by Friday.
Zuma’s son Duduzane has not formally applied for his lawyers to cross-examine either Mentor or Jonas‚ who both implicated him as a key player in the Gupta family’s alleged state capture corruption. He has told TimesLIVE that he will testify at the inquiry if required to so‚ despite facing trial for corruption on the basis of Jonas’s evidence.
Lawyers for the Zumas and the Guptas this morning held a meeting behind closed doors with Zondo‚ which he described as “urgent”. It was during this meeting‚ Zondo said‚ that Zuma and the Guptas’ lawyers informed him of their responses to being implicated by Jonas and Mentor.
Ajay Gupta will file an affidavit‚ detailing his sworn response to the allegations against him‚ by Friday.
Karyn Maughan -TimesLIVE
