Jacob Zuma correctional services

Photo by Emmanuel Croset / AFP

Zuma corruption trial to resume in Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday

The court is expected to hear former President Jacob Zuma’s “special plea” to have state advocate Billy Downer removed from the corruption trial on Monday, 19 July.

Jacob Zuma correctional services

Photo by Emmanuel Croset / AFP

The corruption trial of former President Jacob Zuma and French arms manufacturer Thales is expected to resume in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday, 19 July. Zuma pled not guilty to all charges of racketeering, fraud and money laundering linked to the arms deal in the previous court appearance on 26 May.

ZUMA CORRUPTION TRIAL TO RESUME ON 19 JULY

The court is expected to hear Zuma’s special plea to have state advocate Billy Downer, SC, removed from the trial. The former president’s plea alleges Downer is politically compromised because he supported court action by the Democratic Alliance (DA), he allegedly illegally leaked information to a journalist and because he interacted with Leonard McCarthy, of the disbanded Scorpions, while he knew that McCarthy was in contact with CIA spies, according to The Witness.

  The special plea is the reason why the proceedings were postponed to 19 July. Downer viewed the delay as necessary and told the Pietermaritzburg High Court to allow Zuma’s defence to file supporting documents that were not attached to its application for his removal.

“…their papers in certain respects are insufficient and incomplete, so we have given them a list of what we think is incomplete and how it needs to be supplemented,” said Downer to the court, according to The Mail and Guardian.

The state disputes the allegations made by Zuma and his counsel as to why be removed from the prosecution, according to Downer.

The state appointed a team of five counsel to oppose the application which will be led by Wim Trengrove SC.

The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) spokesperson Sipho Ngwenya called the plea “frivolous” and said it consisted of recycled allegations, accusing the former president’s legal team of attempted to delay proceedings again.

“Virtually all the things that have been raised, purportedly about advocate Downer, have nothing to do with him,” said Ngwenya. “It is conspiracy theories that have nothing to do with him.”

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