Jacob Zuma's Corruption Trial May Finally Kick Off as Early as May
- Jacob Zuma's corruption trial may kick off as early as May as a result of an earlier court ruling
- The ex-president may well face the music soon after Thales elected against appealing a court ruling on its attempt to avoid trial
- The National Prosecuting Authority says that it is pleased the company opted against challenging the ruling
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Former president Jacob Zuma may be facing trial for corruption as early as May after Thales opted out of appealing a recent court ruling.
The French arms company has indicated that it has no intentions of continuing with its legal challenge against appearing on charges of racketeering.
The trial, spanning over a decade, seems to finally be on the verge of kicking off with this last hurdle overcome last month.
Source: Getty Images
News24 reports that National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Sipho Ngwema confirmed the company has no intention of pushing forward with an appeal in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court.
Ngwema says that the NPA is pleased with this decision and are 'delighted' that the state and Thales are both keen on starting the trial 'fairly soon'. Ngwema says that its time to 'get the show on the road', signalling his hope that this will clear the way for the long-awaited case against both Zuma and Thales.
Both the ex-president and the arms company are expected back in court on 23 February when the trial dates are to be announced in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
Earlier, Briefly.co.za reported that the KwaZulu-Natal High Court, sitting in Pietermaritzburg, had opted to dismiss with costs Thales' legal challenge against its racketeering charges.
The French arms company is facing corruption charges alongside former president Jacob Zuma.
The State argues that the company had controversially agreed to pay the politician a R500 000 a year bribe in exchange for protection from any possible investigation stemming from SA's multibillion-rand arms deal.
This legal attempt to avoid the trial was the final hurdle hindering the long-awaited former statesman's trial.
The company had secured a R2.6 billion contract to supply four navy frigates to the government as part of a R60 billion deal over a decade ago that was riddled with corruption.
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Source: Briefly News
