MacWeek: City Press (re)publishes what Mac told the Scorpions

28 Nov 2011

Over the last week, the fracas surrounding Mac Maharaj has been getting a tad repetitive. Journalist after journalist asked him directly: "Did you lie to the Scorpions?" and time after time he refused to answer the question, citing his rights under the NPA Act. Now that City Press has dug up a 2007 story about the matter - including actual transcripts of the 2003 Scorpions inquiry - it seems that Maharaj did, indeed, fail to tell the truth.

He's still trying to spin the story as Mac vs the media, though.

The presidential spokesman has spent the last week on the counterattack, after damaging stories about his alleged involvement in the arms deal were published in the Sunday Times - and not published in the Mail & Guardian. The information that the M&G chose not to publish related to his 2003 investigation by the now-disbanded Scorpions, and was protected from disclosure as it was part of a Section 28 inquiry under the National Prosecution Authority Act.

Maharaj laid charges against the M&G and reporters Sam Sole and Stefaans Brümmer, in terms of the NPA Act, and the Hawks are investigating the newspaper.

But never mind the M&G; on Sunday,27 November 2011, City Press went ahead and published sections from the transcript of the Scorpions inquiry into Maharaj and his wife, Zarina Maharaj. Thing is, the newspaper had already published this transcript, and a story relating to it, way back in 2007 - and escaped prosecution.

Continue reading the full story on www.dailymaverick.co.za.

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Source: Daily Maverick

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Theresa Mallinson

About Theresa Mallinson

Theresa Mallinson has lived and worked as an itinerant writer, subeditor and sometimes teacher, plying her trade in such exotic destinations as Vaduz, Dubai, and Cape Town. But that's all changed since she became a journalist at the Daily Maverick (www.thedailymaverick.co.za) and managing editor at Free African Media. For now, she's very happy to be living in Jozi. Follow her on Twitter at @tcmallinson and contact her on moc.liamg@nosnillam.asereht.