The Democratic Alliance (DA) has welcomed today’s ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeal confirming that former President Jacob Zuma must pay back the money spent by the State on his personal legal costs.
In 2006 and 2008, Zuma submitted requests to the State Attorney for legal assistance at the state’s expense.
He is facing charges related to money laundering, corruption and racketeering linked to the controversial arms deal.
In a statement, party leader John Steenhuisen says today’s judgment confirms that the State Attorney is only obliged to act if it’s in the government’s or the public’s interest to do so.
Below is a report on the 2018 ruling that was upheld by the SCA today:
He says the matter was Zuma’s personal legal battle and he had no right to fund it with taxpayers’ money.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has estimated that the state may have spent between R25 million to R32 million on Zuma’s legal fees, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) estimates the costs to be more than R16 million.
Both parties opposed the former president’s appeal.
