The Supreme Court of Appeal President, Justice Mandisa Maya, has rejected allegations that she has deliberately stalled the finalisation of former President Jacob Zuma’s two appeals.
In the statement, the Office of the Chief Justice also confirmed that Maya has dismissed Zuma’s application for reconsideration of the appeal against the High Court judgment which refused his application to have lead prosecutor, Billy Downer, removed from his multi-billion rand arms deal corruption case.
Zuma wanted the court to quash the charges against him and declare that Downer had no title to prosecute him.
The Office of the Chief Justice says Maya only became involved in the matter on Tuesday last week, not in March as has been widely reported in the media.
VIDEO: In April, Zuma announced that he is going to pursue private prosecution of Advocate Billy Downer:
In a separate application, Zuma and the Correctional Services Department are challenging the High Court judgment which ordered that his release on medical parole was unlawful and irrational.
Maya blames the former SCA registrar Paul Myburgh’s miscommunication, which resulted in the matter not being heard this month.
The appellants earlier filed an application for the medical parole appeal to be expedited.
Respondents, who include the Helen Suzman Foundation, have until the first of July to file their opposing papers in the SCA.
Zuma was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment by the Constitutional Court for contempt of court after he breached its earlier order to abide by the State Capture Commission’s summons to appear before it.
Zuma was imprisoned at the Escourt Correctional Services Facility for 15 months.
However, former Correctional Services Commissioner Arthur Fraser released him on medical parole in less than two months against the recommendation of the Medical Parole Advisory Board.
High Court Judge Elias Matojane said the matter needed the attention of the SCA to bring certainty to the interpretation of the Correctional Services Act and its regulations.
Discussion on former President Jacob Zuma’s medical parole being found unlawful with Modidima Mannya:
