The corruption case of former president Jacob Zuma and French arms company Thales will be back in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday.
Zuma’s office has confirmed that he will not attend as he is unwell. In November last year, Zuma and co-accused Thales lost their bid to seek leave to appeal a judgment for a permanent stay of prosecution. They are facing multiple charges including corruption and racketeering. These relate to the controversial multi-billion-rand arms deal of the 1990s.
Tuesday’s court appearance had from last year been set as a provisional trial date for the criminal matter, this pending the outcome of the civil case in which Zuma has applied for permanent stay of prosecution. Last year, the Pietermaritzburg High Court rejected Zuma’s application for the charges to be quashed. He had cited delays, pre-trial irregularities and the fact that he strongly believed that he was a target of his political opponents.
It was based on these factors that Zuma argued that his constitutional rights had been violated and that he would not get a fair trial while his co-accused Thales wanted his initial decision for the reinstatement of charges to be reviewed. The case is expected to be postponed.
Zuma having lost his bid to appeal the permanent stay of prosecution judgment, he’s petitioning the Supreme Court of Appeal to challenge the matter.
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