Jacob Zuma snubs summons to appear before State Capture Inquiry
- The drama surrounding ex-president Jacob Zuma's testimony before the State Capture Inquiry continues
- Zuma's legal team has made it clear that the politician will not be attending the Inquiry on Monday
- This comes after judgement in the Constitutional Court bid to legally compel Zuma to answer to allegations made against him was reserved
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Former president Jacob Zuma's legal team has told the State Capture Inquiry that he will not be appearing before the commission on Monday.
Source: Getty Images
The lawyers are insisting that Zuma's appearance can only be forced to appear once his bid for Zondo's recusal has been finalised.
The team further claims that due to the Inquiry's legal bid at the Constitutional Court to compel him to answer to allegations against him without Zuma being able to invoke his right to remain silent warrants his absence from proceedings.
Eric Mabuza, on Zuma's behalf, told the Inquiry that the summons compelling the ex-president to appear before Zondo 'cannot be legally enforced at this stage'.
This comes after the commission sent Zuma a letter pointing out that, even if the apex court had not ruled on the application, he would still be obliged to comply with the summons due to the fact that it has not been withdrawn, set aside or suspended:
"Therefore, the commission wishes to make it clear to you that any failure on your part, without sufficient cause, to appear before it on the 18th and 22nd January 2021 will constitute a criminal offence."
The lawyers even went as far as to suggest that the Inquiry was seeking to 'undermine a pending Constitutional Court judgement in pursuance' of the politician.
Earlier, Briefly.co.za reported that Zondo moved to lay a criminal complaint against former president Jacob Zuma after his exodus from the State Capture Inquiry.
Previously, Zuma had left the commission after Zondo passed down his ruling over Zuma's application for Zondo's recusal.
The ex-president had accused the State Capture Inquiry chair of being not only biased but also claimed the pair had a 'close relationship'.
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Source: Briefly News
