Supreme Court of Appeal Dismisses Jacob Zuma's Appeal to Have Billy Downer Removed from Arms Deal Trial
- Jacob Zuma, the former President of South Africa has suffered yet another legal blow with his latest bid in his arms deal trial
- Zuma approached the Supreme Court of Appeal in hopes of finally getting Advocate Billy Downer removed from his case as lead prosecutor
- Some South Africans believe Msholozi should just face the music, while others believe he will be heading to ConCourt next
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PIETERMARITZBURG - Former President Jacob Zuma has once again lost another bid to have Advocate Billy Downer removed from his arms deal corruption trial as the lead prosecutor. Zuma has long believed that Downer is biased and that will result in an unfair trial.
This comes after the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed his application to review the decision made by the Pietermaritzburg High Court by Judge Piet Koen.
Source: Getty Images
On Thursday night, 26 May, the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) issued a statement denying the claims that the SCA was purposefully delaying Zuma's appeals, according to News24.
In addition to appeal related to Downer, Zuma is also appealing a decision made by the Pretoria High Court which stated that Zuma's medical parole was unlawful.
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Zuma was released from prison last year after spending a few months of his 15-month prison sentence for being in contempt of court.
Justice Maya denies claims she is delaying Zuma's appeals
The SCA President, Justice Mandisa Maya has defended herself against the allegations that she was deliberately delaying Zuma's appeals.
Maya says the delays were caused by a miscommunication between her and the former SCA registrar Paul Myburgh, reports SABC News. Maya is said to have received the application in May and not March when it was filed.
Zuma's arm's deal trial is now set to proceed on 15 August, 2022 where he will face charges of corruption and fraud alongside a French weapons company, Thales.
South Africans react
South Africans have shared their thoughts on Zuma's legal troubles. Some people believe Zuma should rather face the charges against him instead of fighting to get appeals, while some people think he will appeal at the Constitutional Court next.
Here are some comments:
@kruisader0 said:
"Justice delayed is justice denied! How long does it take for a country to pursue justice by force on someone who has bled their country dry!"
@Manikipi said:
"At least Justice Maya was polite shem cause she did not characterise them as vexatious or recalcitrant litigants. She just politely stuck to the law as is"
@jobsmokoena said:
"They will take this to the CC where they will meet Zondo, then they will want him to recuse himself because he is Zuma's "friend". he will refuse and they will ask for rescission, and so it goes on and on and on."
Jacob Zuma celebrates 80th birthday at Nkandla home with family despite health scare before court appearance
In other news, Briefly News reported that former President Jacob Zuma seemed to be in good health and is celebrating his 80th birthday at his home in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal.
Zuma experienced a health-related issue yesterday, Monday 11 April and was unable to attend court proceedings.
Msholozi had to be rushed to a Durban hospital after experiencing a rise in his blood levels according to TimesLIVE. The former president faces charges of fraud and corruption along with French arms company Thales for a scandal that occurred in 1999. Zuma is currently out of jail on medical parole.
Source: Briefly News
