Zuma Trial Postponed Pending Decision Of SCA Judge President Maya

The Pietermaritzburg High Court heard on Tuesday that former President Jacob Zuma’s reconsideration application was still on its way to Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) Judge President Mandisa Maya.

As a result, Judge Piet Koen delayed the arms deal case until August, assuming that Judge Maya would have made a decision by then. Zuma has asked Judge Maya to reconsider Judge Koen’s decision, in which he found no reason why State Advocate Billy Downer could not continue as the prosecutor in the case.

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Zuma and the French arms manufacturer Thales are accused of fraud and corruption in connection with the 1990s arms deal. Downer has been accused by Zuma of being biased against him and of acting unlawfully on several occasions while handling confidential information.

Zuma also accused Downer of previously leaking information about his corruption trial to third and unauthorised parties, including CIA spies and some local media outlets, in his lengthy arguments. He also accused Downer of leaking his private medical report to a journalist.

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Judge Koen stated last month in granting the order to allow for a postponement and for Judge Maya’s decision that the Superior Courts Act limited his discretion to refuse Zuma’s postponement application because it amounted to an application for leave to appeal.

“The appeal process must be allowed to run its course,” Judge Koen said at the time. Judge Koen also stated that he could not find Zuma’s litigation to be an abuse of court processes and that the State’s argument that Zuma was taking a Stalingrad approach in his litigation would necessitate additional evidence.

The former president is facing a slew of corruption, money laundering, and racketeering charges stemming from the late-1990s arms deal.