New evidence has surfaced linking the kickbacks from a contract to provide new drivers licenses in the 1990’s to Mac Maharaj and his wife Zarina. Maharaj’s sister-in-law, Sherine Carim, can confirm a secret Swiss bank account, opened by Zarina, into which these kickbacks were paid.

Thales, a multinational company wired the money to a Swiss bank account controlled by Schabir Shaik, who forwarded the money to the Maharaj’s account. Shaik was convicted in 2005 for corruption, which included facilitating a bribe which was paid for by Thales to Jacob Zuma for his “protection and support” during the arms deal.

During 1996, however, Thales subsidiary IDMatics was in a consortium with Shaik, bidding for the contract to produce the new credit card-style drivers’ licences. Mac Maharaj was minister of transport at the time and Zarina’s sister, Shirene Carim, an uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) veteran, was living in London.

Knowledge of the existence of the accounts is not news in of itself – in fact, there was a case against the Maharaj’s for these very allegations, but it was dropped by the acting NPA director in 2009 for reasons that have as yet not been explained.

But Shirene’s new statement throws into sharp relief just how cynically fraudulent the Maharaj’s decision to open a Swiss bank account for the sake of receiving payments from Shaik was.

In an email to the Mail & Guardian, Sherine wrote the following:

I’d hoped that by now, justice would prevail.

In 1996 or 1997, Mac’s wife stayed with me in London UK on her way to Geneva to open a bank account, as she could only have been boasting to me.

I was given the details of the provider of the funds – Shaik – and the reason why. I was in shock until she left, to be back the following evening.

She called the next afternoon, having missed her flight due to the time difference in Switzerland of which she was unaware.

I asked her if I should call my friends in Geneva who would collect her and give her a bed for the night. She declined, saying she’d take a hotel room and Schabir would ‘have to’ pay for it.

When she should have been back, a call came and I insisted on knowing who was speaking. ‘Schabir’ came the answer. I told him she wasn’t back from Geneva where she’d gone to open a bank account for the ­proceeds of bribery and corruption.

She arrived, left for South Africa and the next communication was a call from her husband, Mac, who told me they were writing their wills and would I stand as executor should anything happen to them.

I reminded him that I’d do anything for the welfare of their children who I loved as my own. He thanked me and told me he’d be in touch. I’ve never heard from him or seen his wife and children to this day.

I have been in a state of confusion ever since.

Click here to read the rest of this compelling report

[Source: Mail&Guardian]