News24 Journalist Karyn Maughan Files for Former President Jacob Zuma’s Case to Be Set Aside, SA Divided

• News24 journalist Karyn Maughan lodged court papers to interdict former President Jacob Zuma's private prosecution
• Zuma filed a case against Maughan and Advocate Billy Downer for allegedly working together to “leak” a medical note
• The journalist said the private prosecution lacks standing since the former president did not suffer any personal injury

DURBAN - News24 journalist Karyn Maughan has labelled former President Jacob Zuma’s private prosecution against her as “meritless” and has lodged court papers to interdict the legal attack.

Zuma filed a case against Maughan and Advocate Billy Downer for allegedly working together to “leak” a medical note from his doctor. The private prosecution came after National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) declined to prosecute Downer.

Maughan said the summons was an unlawful, vexatious abuse of the process of the court, EWN reported. She said Zuma is attempting to intimidate and harass her and that the summons was a “cynical” attack on the right to freedom of expression and free media.

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The journalist said the private prosecution lacks standing since the former president did not suffer any personal injury from the alleged crimes. She added that the medical note was a court document and, therefore a part of the public record.

According to TimesLIVE, Maughan said Zuma’s supporters, family members and representatives of the Jacob G Zuma Foundation have repeatedly maligned and threatened her for doing her job.

At the time of the alleged crime, the former president was applying for a postponement of the criminal trial against him and the French arms company, Thales, because he was unwell.

The medical note was submitted to Judge Piet Koen and attached to the state’s and Zuma’s papers. Judge Koen stated that the note did not contain any significantly confidential information.

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SA divided over summons:

@CT06389823 said:

“Jacob is stalling everything deliberately. He wants his ex-wife to pardon him if she becomes president.”

@bonnymfene wrote

“So, she doesn’t want to get her day in court? But others must? How great! No ways. She must go and answer as to how she obtained that medical information before it was placed before the court.”

@Sbujele2 posted:

“She must feel it, it’s not nice when the shoe is on the other side, no more doing graphs and analysis. She must focus now. Her lawyers will milk her dry.”

Advocate Billy Downer files court papers asking Zuma to cough up R1 Million as security for legal costs

In a related matter, Briefly News also reported former President Jacob Zuma might be forced to cough up R1 million ahead of his private prosecution case against State advocate Billy Downer and News24 journalist Karyn Maughan.

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Zuma has already put forward R90 000 at the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court as security for costs, but Downer wants the former president to pay more.

In court papers filed at the KwaZulu-Natal High Court sitting in Pietermaritzburg, Downer stated that he wants to ensure Zuma will be able to pay for his costs in the event the prosecution fails, reports News24.

Source: Briefly News