'All false'...?

May 08 2009 at 11:58AM


By Dasen Thathiah and Hanti Otto

It's all false, said Durban businessman Roy Moodley today of his arrest for allegedly trying to bribe his way into a prime seat at tomorrow's presidential inauguration.

Despite being charged with bribery and corruption, Moodley will still be allowed to attend the event he was invited to as a special guest. However, he said today he had not decided whether he would attend.

Moodley, 54, a prominent supporter of president-elect Jacob Zuma, said: "Everything that has been reported is false. It wasn't a bribe and this matter has been blown out of proportion."

'The newspapers have put in what they want'
Moodley appeared in a Pretoria regional court yesterday, where he was released on R2 000 bail after spending a night at the Sunnyside police station cells.

Moodley said he was not ready to speak about what transpired on Wednesday.


"I can't tell you anything now. I will tell you at the right time.

"The newspapers have put in what they want," he said.

Government spokesman Them-ba Maseko said last night that Moodley had not been removed from the presidential inauguration guest list.

'It is believed that Moodley pushed a R100 note to the woman helping him'
"If there was a compelling reason to remove him, we would have been informed by now and he would not have been allowed to attend," he said.

National police spokesman Captain Dennis Adriao said yesterday that Moodley was an invited guest to the inauguration and that each invited guest needed accreditation before they were allowed entry to the Union Buildings.

As one of those whose name was on the guest list, Moodley went to the accreditation tent in Arcadia on Wednesday. "Security for this event is a priority, so each guest has a seat allocated to him or her. Guests do not have a say in where they will be seated. It is believed that Moodley pushed a R100 note to the woman helping him, saying he wanted a seat with a better view," Adriao said.

The woman became suspicious and informed her supervisor who contacted the police. Moodley was arrested at the tent and taken to the Sunnyside Police Station for questioning.

"In the light of the planned events, we had to do intensive investigations to ensure that what the suspect said was true," Adriao said.

After it was established that Moodley had no ulterior motive he spent the night in the police cells before he appeared in court yesterday morning.

State prosecutor Lebo Mokome informed the court that the accused's address in Umhlanga had been confirmed and there was no objection to bail.

Moodley had three adult children and was a businessman with interests in South Africa, so he was not regarded as a flight risk.

He also had no previous convictions or cases pending against him.

The court postponed the case for further investigation and granted Moodley bail of R2 000, ordering him to return on June 24.

Kessie Naidu SC, who is representing Moodley, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Moodley recently hosted a celebration at his plush La Lucia home after charges against Zuma were withdrawn.


This article was originally published on page 1 of Daily News on May 08, 2009

Umlilo -

I believe what Mr. Moodley had said.
He has a special invite. There is no reason for him to bribe anyone.

I had the pleasure of chatting to him at Scottsville last week when his horse London Guest won. He is humble and a thorough gentleman.

eastexpo;

just re-gurgitating; possibly a false start?

He's lucky the magistrate did not find out that he is a racehorse owner or the bail might have been a lot higher, lol.

so the person reporting him is doing it for fun hey...fucking joke trying to convince yourself he didnt do it

pirates

Sounds more like a 'turf' war- here's bringing politics into horseracing!:

Todays Sunday Times Page 5: 'Bribe accused blames woes on Indians'.

Bribe accused blames woes on Indians
Subashni Naidoo Published:May 10, 2009

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Friends: Roy Moodley and Jacob Zuma in 2007

‘This is a plot by Indian businessmen like Vivian Reddy’


Durban businessman Roy Moodley — bust this week for allegedly trying to slip an official R100 to secure a seat close to President Jacob Zuma at yesterday’s presidential inauguration — has blamed his woes on a “jealous” plot by a cabal of Indian businessmen.

The wealthy Durbanite, who owns 50 racehorses, claimed a key plotter against him was Zuma benefactor Viv Reddy, whom he said was “threatened” by his relationship with the new president.

Moodley was arrested on Wednesday and later appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on charges of bribery and corruption. He has not been asked to plead.

He told the Sunday Times that Reddy and other businessmen were plotting to bring him down.

The 55-year old said he would be attending yesterday’s inauguration ceremony as a “special guest”.

“The allegations are that I wanted to sit next to him. Obviously in a function like that, nobody can sit next to the president.”

The businessman claims his relationship with Zuma goes back 15 years. Zuma attended a birthday party hosted by Moodley and Reddy for King Goodwill Zwelithini at Sibaya Casino two years ago and his own rock ’n’ roll-themed bash at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli ICC last year where Moodley arrived at his surprise birthday party in the company of the Zulu monarch.

On his arrest earlier this week, Moodley said: “This is a plot by Indian businessmen like Vivian Reddy.

“I don’t know why he is trying to get popular using my name,” said Moodley.

Reddy, however dismissed Moodley’s claims as “immature, emotional and devoid of any truth”.

ANC national spokesman Jessie Duarte said the party believed very clearly that irrespective of what a person might have done for the ANC, the law must take its course.

Zuma’s spokesman, Zizi Kodwa, said: “Clearly if there is evidence undermining the rule of law... we must allow the police and the courts to make a recommendation.

“ If he is found to be guilty then he must be punished.”

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* Or, is it mixing horseracing with politics?

Closure, charges withdrawn!

So, what was it all about in the first place?

******************************


Bribery claims are absurd - Moodley

May 13 2009 at 12:16PM



By Dasen Thathiah

There was no R100 bribe, there was no envelope, Durban racehorse owner and prominent Jacob Zuma supporter Roy Moodley has declared in announcing that charges against him had been withdrawn.

"The whole thing was absurd," he said in an interview on Tuesday night.

Moodley chose to attend and celebrate Zuma's inauguration in silence on Saturday, despite bribery and corruption charges against him having been scrapped the day before.

He was arrested for allegedly trying to upgrade his seat at the ceremony in the Union Buildings amphitheatre.

"Although I knew the charges were dropped on Friday, I didn't tell anyone except my lawyers about it.
Continued Below «

"I wanted those who were trying to ruin my reputation to have their fun," he said. "I said at that time that I would talk at the right time - and that time is now."

The businessman said even those close to him did not know he had been cleared.

"This whole thing was just a misunderstanding. I am not out on bail; there are no charges against me.

"There was no bribe, there was no money involved and there was no brown envelope," Moodley said.

He said he had been in Pretoria on a business trip on Wednesday when he decided to stop at the inauguration centre to confirm the seating arrangements for the event.

He was arrested at the scene for his alleged bribe of an Arts and Culture official and appeared in court on Thursday.

Despite the embarrassment caused by his arrest, Moodley attended the inauguration - which he described as "completely enjoyable" - because he had been invited as a special guest.

"The seating for special guests was directly after the seating reserved for foreign heads of state. How much closer could I have wanted to go?

"Security is so tight at the inauguration that even if someone paid R1-million, they wouldn't be able to get closer to the president," Moodley said.

"For people to believe someone could be bribed with R100 to do such a thing is naive. The whole thing was absurd," he said.

He would not take legal action against anyone, he said.

The tycoon revealed that media coverage of his arrest and night in Sunnyside police cells in Pretoria had created a considerable amount of publicity for him.

Moodley enlisted the services of two lawyers - Alan Kissoon and advocate Kessie Naidu SC - when he was arrested on Wednesday.

Moodley appeared in court on Thursday, was granted bail of R2 000 and was told to reappear in court on June 22.

The next day Moodley, with his attorney Kissoon, appeared briefly in a magistrate's court again and the case was dropped.

"All charges were withdrawn," Kissoon said.

An extravagant party was held at Moodley's palatial La Lucia home on Sunday in celebration of Zuma's inauguration.

The businessman hosted another at the time of the withdrawal of charges against Zuma.


dasen.thathiah@inl.co.za

Did he enjoy the inauguration? Was the food any good?

A well catered party is always a well attended on.

some people never learn like mr pirates mr roy moodley is a good man he helps everybody around him so stop trying to talk shit about him and get a life the reporter is a new kid on the block trying to my a name for himself i have worked for mr moodley for many years and he always gives people presents if his horses win or you do some thing for him so this whole thing is blown out of the water and now leave the man alone

MR Moodley is a businessman and a humanbeing,if you know the man you would know of all the good he does for his family and people around him.So those that are making ill informed judgements don't ,cos obviously you dont know him like we do.

100% right gary and he is good for racing so people like pirates who do not put a tickey in the game must shut his mouth