which Shaik wrote "conflicts with intention", yet despite the careful set-up, Thomson-CSF did not transfer any money to Shaik. Subsequently, Zuma went to meet with Thétard in Paris, following which R250,000 (US$38,000) was transferred by Thomson-CSF to the "Jacob Zuma Education Fund". As the year progressed, the relationship between Shaik and Zuma had attracted more attention, and by October 2000, South Africa's leading corruption prosecutor, Judge Willem Heath, formally asked President Thabo Mbeki for a proclamation allowing him to investigate the arms deal. Zuma immediately attacked the petition by writing a letter to Gavin Woods, the chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa). This letter, written in Zuma's capacity as "Leader of Government Business" in Parliament states that: Trial Schabir Shaik's trial started amid an intense media circus in the Durban High Court. Shaik pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption and fraud on 10 October 2004. He asserted in his plea explanation that the State had misunderstood his dealings with Zuma. He agreed that there was a financial relationship between Zuma and him, but that it was not a corrupt one as the payments he made to Zuma were loans made in friendship. He did not ask for any interest in the loans because it "offended his religious convictions". The loans had been made on a revolving credit agreement. He also denied allegations of fraud, saying money was mistakenly written off in his company's books, but that this was later fixed. To allegations that he was involved in soliciting a bribe for Zuma, he replied that he knew nothing. In lead prosecutor Billy Downer's opening address, he said his case would be based on facts and patterns and that "we will principally be talking of the arms deal." The first charge against Shaik was one of general corruption. In their efforts to prove this charge, the State led a number of witnesses to show, as explained by Downer, that Zuma was "on retainer for Shaik." First charge: Corruption The State argued in its first charge of corruption that Shaik had paid Zuma R1.2 million (US$185,000) to further a "general corrupt relationship." To prove this charge, the State gave evidence of all the financial transactions between Shaik and Zuma. The State's first witness for this charge was Shaik's former secretary, Bianca Singh, who gave testimony while accompanied by three bodyguards. She stated that "Zuma was quite close