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Zuma to appeal court’s ruling to set aside Downer, Maughan private prosecution

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The Jacob Zuma Foundation says the former President will be appealing the judgment by the Pietermaritzburg High Court that set aside his private prosecution of Advocate Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan.

This follows an urgent application by Maughan and Downer in September last year asking the court to set aside the private prosecution.

They also asked for an interdict to prevent Zuma from pressing charges against them in the future, which the court granted.

Zuma accused Downer of allegedly leaking his confidential medical records to Maughan.

Foundation Spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi says, “His excellency president Zuma is going to appeal this judgment. We see this travesty of justice. We see this as people who are treated with laws that are not in existence in the country when the law is so clear about not giving out information prior to permission by the National Director of Public Prosecution. How can it be that when that has happened that the court sees nothing wrong with this?”

 
‘Win for media freedom’

Meanwhile, Maughan has praised the latest Pietermaritzburg High Court decision as a victory for media freedom. Maughan says, “I think it is such a massive relief but also an incredible awareness that this judgment has repercussions beyond myself, it was about media freedom in this country. I am so grateful that this is over, at least this particular chapter of it.”

 

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