Zuma denies having ‘palace’ in Dubai

Johannesburg, June 4: South African President Jacob Zuma has denied owning a “palace” in the United Arab Emirates, his office said on Sunday, after local media reported that an influential family bought him a home in the wealthy Gulfstate.

Graft accusations in more than 100,000 leaked documents ande-mails last week heaped more pressure on the scandalplagued President Jacob Zuma, only days after he survived a no-confidence vote by membersof his own party’s top body.

South Africa’s Sunday Times newspaper reported that several independent sources had told it that the Gupta family had bought Mr Zuma a retirement home for $25 million in an upmarket suburb of Dubai.

The newspaper did not name the sources, but said that they included businessmen, senior officials in the ruling African National Congress and people close to the Zuma family. It also cited some of the leaked e-mails.

The Gupta family, wealthy Indian-born businessmen, whose companies have contracts with state-owned firms, have denied all allegations of influence-peddling or improper dealings, andthrough a spokesman last week labelled the e-mails “fake news”.

“President Zuma does not own any property outside South Africa and has not requested anybody to buy property for him abroad,” his office said in a statement, adding that the report about a “palace” in Dubai was a “fabrication”.