To many of us, it’s all there.

Crimes against this country’s people are plentiful, the #GuptaLeaks emails holding all the evidence we need to finally, finally, take down Number One.

But alas, according to legal experts, “although the emails show that irregularities occurred, they are not sufficient on their own to haul the Gupta family and their friend President Jacob Zuma to court to prosecute them for various misdeeds,” reports City Press.

Heartbreak.

But the reason isn’t what you think.

Professor Koos Malan of the department of public law at the University of Pretoria, Lawson Naidoo of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (Casac), and senior prosecutor Wessie Wessels, stated that the emails “do provide sufficient grounds to lay charges with the police” and may form:

the basis for the police and National Prosecuting Authority to investigate and prosecute possible violations under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), the Prevention of Corrupt Activities Act, the Companies Act, the Tax Administration Act, and the Financial Intelligence Center Act (Fica).

But, unfortunately, the biggest problem is who is going to investigate these charges and ensure that they come to trial.

To prove many of the allegations, other evidence is required – like bank statements – and how the emails are used in court depend on various factors, “including how the emails were obtained,” said Malan:

According to him, it is apparently “fashionable” for high-ranking people to say that they will not receive a fair hearing if criminal evidence or information was leaked to the public.

Naidoo, however, says he is not too worried about that and says the cases can be successfully investigated.

So unless we get a group of prosecutors to get on this ASAP, all hope of charging these people who have captured our state may be lost.

But then again, this is South Africa and miracles do seem to happen. *fingers crossed*

[source:citypress]