Former South African president Jacob Zuma’s arms deal corruption case has been postponed to August 15, as he seeks the removal of the case’s lead prosecutor, Advocate Billy Downer. Zuma, who is facing fraud and corruption charges in connection with the arms deal procurement programme from the 1990s, was scheduled to face trial at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday.
Zuma’s attempts to have Downer removed have been unsuccessful in the past, including at the Constitutional Court. However, in his latest application, Zuma is arguing that Downer should not be allowed to continue as the lead prosecutor because Downer himself is facing criminal charges. Zuma has initiated private prosecution proceedings against Downer, accusing him of leaking Zuma’s medical report to a journalist.
Both Downer and the journalist, Karyn Maughan, have made an application for Zuma’s private prosecution to be halted. They claim that the medical report was already a public document when it was sent to Maughan and that a member of Downer’s prosecuting team, not Downer himself, sent the document to the journalist.
The proceedings on Monday were presided over by Judge Nkosinathi Chili, as the previous judge in the case, Piet Koen, recused himself. The postponement of Zuma’s trial has further delayed the resolution of this high-profile corruption case, which has been ongoing for years and has political implications in South Africa. Zuma has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the arms deal, and the case continues to draw attention as it unfolds in the country’s courts.
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