Zuma's arms deal case postponed to September

Zuma's arms deal case postponed to September

The corruption trial involving former president Jacob Zuma has been pushed back to September.

FORMER PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA
AFP

The MK Party leader was back in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Thursday in connection with the case that has dragged on for nearly two decades.


The state and Zuma's legal team argued about the involvement of state prosecutor Billy Downer - amid the ongoing efforts to have him removed from the case.


Zuma and French arms supplier Thales are facing numerous allegations, including fraud, corruption, money laundering, and racketeering


They stem from South Africa's multi-billion-rand arms procurement deal of the 1990s.


The postponement is to allow Judge Nkosinathi Chili to give reasons for his dismissal of Zuma's bid to remove Downer.


"At the inception of the trial, there appeared to be confusion with regard to the issues that require determination. However, having the submissions made by council, I have adopted the view that the appropriate route to take will be to consider the request by Mr Zuma, on behalf of Mr Zuma, for reasons for the order I made in May for dismissing Zuma's request for the removal of Downer as the prosecutor in these proceedings,” the judge said.


"Having considered submissions made by the council, I am of the view that exceptional circumstances exist that warrant the grant of the request by Mr Mpofu. This matter is therefore postponed to 11 September 2024, and reasons will be furnished on that day.”


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