The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein has dismissed with costs an application by former President Jacob Zuma for leave to appeal the High Court judgment, which paved the way for his criminal prosecution.
Zuma had petitioned the SCA in a bid to challenge the judgment by the High Court in Pietermaritzburg, which ordered that he and French arms company, Thales, should face criminal prosecution in the alleged multimillion-rand arms deal corruption.
The SCA says Zuma had no reasonable prospects for success.
Zuma is charged along with Thales, with one count of racketeering, 12 of fraud, four of corruption and one of money laundering.
Zuma was first charged in June 2005 following the conviction of his former financial advisor, Schabir Shaik.
A decision was again taken by the NPA to prosecute Zuma in 2005 and in 2007, but withdrawn again in 2009 due to the so-called “spy tapes.”
In the video below, Adv. Mkhosazana Mbonani sheds more light on the charges Zuma is facing:
Zuma will be back in the Appeal Court in the next two weeks to challenge punitive personal costs order in his failed bid to block the review of the remedial action of the “State of Capture” report.
In the video below, Zuma supporters gather to defend former president:
